


Just Keep Swimming.

by goodforyouxo



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Domestic Fluff, Fallen Angel Castiel (Supernatural), Fever, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Food, Funny, Funny Castiel (Supernatural), Funny Dean Winchester, Gen, Graceless Castiel, Grocery Shopping, Hospitals, Human Castiel, Humor, I Don't Even Know, I Tried, Illnesses, Impala, M/M, Magical Pregnancy, Pie, Post Mpreg, Pregnancy, Pregnant Dean Winchester, Sick Character, Sickfic, Swimming, Swimming Pools
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-05-24 13:36:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14955662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodforyouxo/pseuds/goodforyouxo
Summary: “Yes,” Castiel agrees, “Do you remember when you cried last summer because you wanted to go swimming but you couldn't be out in public because of your belly?” he asks, glancing up at Dean briefly.Dean rolls his eyes, “I was seven months pregnant in the middle of August, it was over 100 degrees outside and the air conditioner in the bunker was broken,” he argued before mumbling, “I didn’t cry! It was sweat...”Or, the time that Dean Winchester goes shopping with his ex-angel boyfriend, his annoying younger brother, and his adorable son.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first piece of work in the Supernatural fandom. I don't usually write but I saw a swimming diaper at the store and I couldn't help but think that Dean Winchester would never want his son to wear one of those. If this goes well, I would like to write a second chapter where the family actually goes swimming at the public pool (imagine all the hijinks they'd get up to)! Since this is my first time writing these characters, I would love some feedback on how I wrote the characters and their personalities. With that being said, please leave me comments and let me know how I did. I'm only on season 10 of Supernatural, so, if you do comment, please don't spoil anything. I hope you enjoy. Thank you!

“If you keep making that face, it'll stay that way.”

Dean was leaning his forearms against the rail of the shopping cart, eye-to-eye with the giggling baby as he continued to make funny faces. Not taking his eyes off his son, Dean grumbled, “Shouldn’t you be picking out fabric softeners with Sam or something?"

However, before Castiel had the chance to answer, Dean was straightening his back and relaxing his face, “Anyways, Noah would love his daddy even if he had a weird face, wouldn’t you, baby boy?”

Noah squealed behind his pacifier, clapping his hands together in what Dean could only assume was affirmation.

Dean grinned and glanced over at Castiel. “See? Besides, Noah and I needed to entertain ourselves while you and Sammy fight over which scent of laundry detergent to get.”

Leaning forward, Dean lifted Noah from the shopping cart seat and rested him against his hip. Noah immediately wrapped his chubby arms around Dean’s neck and looked around the store with his wide blue eyes, taking in his surroundings.

Sometimes Dean couldn’t believe that he and Castiel had made such a beautiful and intelligent little human being. His son is the perfect mix of them both; Noah has bright blue eyes that take after Castiel and sandy blonde hair that’s all Dean. He also inherited Castiel’s button nose and Dean’s plump lips.

Before Noah was born, Dean always thought that all babies looked the same, but his opinion changed drastically after his son was born. The first time Dean looked at his son, he truly believed that Noah was the cutest baby he’s ever seen. As Noah continues to grow, Dean’s opinion only gets stronger.

Stepping around Dean, Castiel trailed the palm of his hand over their son’s head in a bout of affection before pushing the cart forward. Dean walked alongside Castiel, bouncing Noah as he did so. “That was one time, Dean, and it was only because Sam wanted to get laundry detergent that smelled like cinnamon rolls. I don't find the appeal of wearing clothes that smell like food.”

“I agree with you, Cas, but you knocked over the entire shelf of laundry detergent and got us kicked out, remember?” Dean couldn’t help the grin that took over his face as he recalled the memory. Dean remembered leaving them in charge of the laundry detergent while he went in search for the shampoo and conditioner. By the time he got back to the laundry detergent aisle, Castiel was hanging onto the front of the shelves, reaching for the top while Sam was behind him, trying to pull him off. A few seconds later, the entire structure pitched backwards and fell, knocking down the shelf in front of it, too.

“As I have told you before, and tried to explain to the manager, it was an accident. I was only trying to reach the bottles that I wanted.”

“Yeah, the bottles that Sam deliberately put on the top shelf so that you couldn’t reach them… only you decided it’d be smart to try to climb the shelves to reach them. The only problem with that is they’re not built to withstand the weight of a six-foot man.” Dean commented with a chuckle, shaking his head.

“It's not my fault that the shelves were so flimsy,” Castiel said. Out of the corner of his eye, Castiel watched as Noah began pulling his pacifier out of his mouth. “Dee, Noah is going to throw his pacifier.”

Without thinking about it, Dean used his free hand to grab the pacifier from Noah’s grip, gently pushing it back into the baby’s mouth. “Well, the manager still didn’t appreciate having a grown man climb her shelves and ruin hundreds of dollars in laundry detergent.” Dean laughed, switching Noah to his other hip. Which was true; when the shelves tipped over, the bottles of laundry detergent smashed against the ground and most of them broke open, covering the floor in slippery liquid.

Castiel muttered something under his breath about sasquatches that made Dean grin. Looking forward, they saw Sam up ahead, going through a rack of what appeared to be diapers. “Speak of the devil,” Dean said right before Sam glanced up and spotted them.

Waving them over with a big smile, Sam called out, “Dean! Cas, come look at what I found!”

Dean couldn’t help the uh-oh that escaped his lips as they made their way towards Sam. “Whaddya find, Sammy?” he asked once they stopped beside his younger brother.

Sam held up a hanger that was holding a bright blue piece of fabric that resembled a diaper. Before Dean had the chance to ask any questions, Castiel was grinning and looking through the rack himself. “This is great, Sam.”

Dean furrowed his eyebrows, watching as Sam and Castiel continued to go through the rack, talking amongst themselves about whatever it was that they found. “What are those? We just stocked up on diapers the other day.” Dean interrupted, running his fingers through Noah’s hair.

Castiel glanced up at Dean, “They're swimming diapers,” he replied before going back to the task at hand, “They will be helpful this summer when we want to take Noah swimming. Sam and I have been looking everywhere for them but this is the first time we have come across any.” Castiel explained.

“That’s great and all, Cas, but I’m not a big fan of swimming, so, a swimming diaper probably won’t be necessary.” Dean tells him. Castiel ignores Dean, continuing to look through the different colors and patterns that are displayed.

Sam, on the other hand, looks up at Dean and gives him his infamous bitch face. “Dean, it’s only May and the temperature is already in the high 80’s. Whether you want to believe it or not, you’re going to end up going swimming this summer.

“Yes,” Castiel agrees, “Do you remember when you cried last summer because you wanted to go swimming but you couldn't be out in public because of your belly?” he asks, glancing up at Dean briefly.

Dean rolls his eyes, “I was seven months pregnant in the middle of August, it was over 100 degrees outside _and_ the air conditioner in the bunker was broken,” he argued before mumbling, “I didn’t cry! It was sweat...” 

Now it was Sam’s turn to roll his eyes, “Sweat was coming out of your eyes?” he mocked Dean, giving him a small smirk.

“Weird things happen during pregnancy, man, I can’t explain it!” Dean claimed with an innocent look, earning a laugh from Castiel.

“Aside from the fact that you – a man – being pregnant is weird enough, I don’t think it’s actually possible to sweat from your eyes.” Sam points out, raising an eyebrow at Dean.

Dean ignored him, “Anyways, if we _were_ to go swimming, why couldn’t Noah just wear a normal diaper? You know, since we have about a thousand of them back at the bunker.”

“Because it would weigh him down and fall apart in the water.” Castiel explains as he picks out a dark red swimming diaper, showing it to Dean.

Dean shakes his head, making a face. “Well, don’t they have some cool baby swimming trunks or something?” Dean asked, looking around.

“Don’t be a moron, Dean,” Sam sighed, “Swimming trunks would be pointless for a baby. There’d be no support and wouldn’t be helpful if a baby had an accident in the water.”

Dean scrunched his nose in disgust, “Yeah, okay, you got me there, Sammy. But come on, don’t they have any printed with cars or guitars? Maybe pie?”

“Dean, Noah’s six months old. They’re supposed to be cute and cartoony,” Sam said, plunking Noah from Dean’s arms. Noah squealed happily and leaned his head on Sam’s shoulder. “Besides, I think this cutie should pick which pair he wants since he’s going to be the one wearing them.” He said, kissing the top of Noah’s head.

Dean smiled softly as he watched his younger brother interact with his son. Sammy was a great uncle and Noah loved him to pieces. Dean watched as Castiel leaned over, pulling the pacifier from Noah’s mouth in order to show off his gummy smile. He handed it to Dean who stuffed it in the diaper bag that was sitting in the shopping cart.

“I think that's a great idea, Sam,” Castiel said, picking up two different printed swimming diapers. One diaper was a deep blue color that was decorated with sailboats and anchors while the other diaper was a light green color that was decorated with safari animals. “Now, Noah, use your fingers to point to which swimming diaper you would like.” Castiel told their son in a serious voice.

Raising an eyebrow, Dean watched the exchange happening in front of him. Dean couldn’t tell if Castiel was joking or not, but knowing the ex-angel, he probably wasn’t. However, Dean couldn’t stop the fond smile that took over his face. Castiel was an amazing dad to their son, even if he was still a bit odd in his mannerism. Even though it’s been a little over a year since his grace had faded away and he became a human, he still reverts to his old self sometimes. “Cas, you know he has no idea what’s go—" Dean began saying but was cut off by a loud shush from Castiel.

“Our son is smart enough to know which swimming diaper he wants, Dean.” Castiel said sternly, keeping his eyes on Noah. Castiel squinted, tilting his head to the side as he continued to stare at their son. Noah giggled, reaching up to play with a strand of Sam’s hair as he watched his papa being silly. The only thing that Dean could do was smirk as he watched his boyfriend being a complete dork with their son.

Sam grabbed Noah’s foot, giving it a gentle shake as he directed the baby’s attention back to the task at hand. Sam pointed at the two diapers, asking in a soft voice, “Which one do you like better, babe?”

Noah stared up at his uncle for a few seconds before turning towards Castiel, pointing his stubby fingers aimlessly in the direction of the diaper that was a deep blue color and decorated with sailboats and anchors. It was obvious that Noah had no idea what was going on and wasn’t making a real decision but Castiel grinned anyway. After throwing the swimming diaper into the shopping cart, Castiel picked Noah up from Sam’s arms, holding him up in the air and giving him kisses all over his face, making Noah squeal in delight. “You're so smart, Noah. So, so, so smart.” He praised in between kisses.

Dean rolled his eyes fondly as he watched Castiel settle Noah in his arms, continuing to mutter praises to their son. Dean glanced over at Sam with a grin before going through their shopping cart to make sure that they had everything they needed to buy.

Water, check. Beer, check. Hamburger patties, check. A package of baby wipes, check. A bag of salad, check. Chocolate cake scented laundry detergent, check. Wait. Dean paused, looking up at Sam. “No way, Sammy!”

The only response was the sound of Sam laughing.

Next time, Dean was staying at home with Noah.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel snorted in amusement as Dean narrowed his eyes at his younger brother. “What’re you up to, Sammy?” He asked, watching as Sam began to run his fingers through Noah’s sandy blonde hair, causing it to stick up in random places.
> 
> “Well… I was thinking that we could spend the afternoon at the public pool.” He said, gauging Dean’s reaction before continuing. “I mean, we could even cook out.” Sam paused, eyes flickering from Dean to Castiel and back again. “On my way home from the library, I picked up hamburger patties, buns, pasta salad, and even pie.”
> 
> Or, the time that Dean Winchester gets ready to go swimming with his ex-angel boyfriend, his annoying younger brother, and his adorable son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited that I was able to write another chapter. Thank you for commenting and leaving kudos. It means so much to me and makes me want to write even more. I was thinking of writing a prequel with Dean's pregnancy, so, please comment if you'd be interested in reading that! Thank you again and I hope that you enjoy this chapter.

A week passed before the idea of swimming was brought up by Sam. It was a Friday afternoon and was the hottest day of the year so far. Dean was sitting on the couch with his bare feet propped up on the coffee table; he was shirtless and lounging around only in a pair of old basketball shorts. Even though the air conditioning was on in the bunker, the heat was still overwhelming. 

Wiping sweat out of his eye, Dean looked down at his boyfriend and their son. Castiel was sitting on the rug with Noah, helping him build a tower out of colorful blocks. However, from where Dean was sitting, it looked as if Castiel was enjoying playtime more than Noah was. 

Dean grinned as he watched Castiel add another block to their tower, making sure it’s perfectly aligned with the ones below it before moving on. 

“See how papa did that?” Castiel asked Noah, picking up another block. “All of the blocks have to be in line with each other or else the whole tower will fall.”

Dean chuckled, “Cas, he’s a baby. You know he has no idea what you’re talking about, right?”

“I think that our baby is smart enough to know what I’m saying.” Castiel replied, not looking up from building. 

A minute later, though, Noah proved Castiel wrong by knocking down the tower, squealing in delight as the plastic blocks fell to the floor. 

Dean couldn’t help it; he threw his head back in laughter, “I think that he’s bored of playing with blocks right now, babe.”

Castiel frowned, looking around at the scattered pieces, “But I wasn’t done building my tower!”

Hearing Dean’s laughter, Noah looked around the room with his big eyes, searching out his daddy. A minute later, Noah crawled towards the couch, plopping down in front of it and raising his arms up towards Dean, letting out small whimpers. 

Grinning, Dean leaned down and picked up Noah, holding him against his chest. Noah wrapped his arms around Dean’s neck, snuggling into his shoulder. 

“How about Noah and I watch you rebuild your tower?” Dean teased, pressing a kiss to the top of Noah’s head. 

Castiel opened his mouth to fire back a smart retort, but paused when he looked up and saw how Dean and Noah were cuddling with each other on the couch. With a soft smile, Castiel got up and made his way over to the couch, sinking down into the cushions next to Dean. Dean immediately wrapped an arm around Castiel’s shoulders, pulling him into the cuddle fest. 

Castiel chuckled, leaning his head on Dean’s shoulder and looking down at their son, who was sucking on his fingers and watching his fathers with curious eyes, “Dee, can you grab Noah’s pacifier? Our little boy is trying to eat his fingers.” Castiel said, grabbing Noah’s hand and pulling it from his mouth. 

Dean nodded, shifting Noah closer to Castiel before leaning over the length of the couch and grabbing a clean pacifier from the end table. Settling back down, Dean gently pushed the nipple into Noah’s mouth, giving a tiny smile as he immediately began sucking, making little noises with his mouth. 

Looking over at Castiel, Dean raised an eyebrow when he noticed his boyfriend was already watching him with squinted eyes, “What?” He asked, trailing the palm of his hand over Noah’s head, flattening down his hair a bit. 

Castiel shook his head, keeping his eyes locked with Dean’s, “Nothing. It’s just – you truly are a wonderful father.” He said in a gentle voice. 

Not wanting Castiel to notice the blush that was crawling up his neck, Dean broke their eye contact and glanced down at Noah. Their son was too busy sucking on his pacifier and playing with his toes to pay any attention to his fathers. Dean couldn’t stop the smile that appeared on his face as he thought about what Castiel just said. 

If Dean was being honest with himself, he’s always been shocked at how easily he adapted to being a father. Before Dean found out he was pregnant with Noah, he never thought about having a family of his own since the possibility didn’t fit in with his lifestyle. Dean always assumed that he would die young; preferably from saving a family from the hands of a monster. 

So, when Dean found out he was pregnant with Noah, he was worried. Worried that he would fail as a father and let down his child. Of course, he knew how to take care of a baby from so many years of looking after Sam but there’s a difference between changing a diaper and actually being there – physically, mentally, and emotionally. 

Dean’s always had issues dealing with his emotions and being open with his feelings (which, if you asked him, is because of the countless years that he had to be the perfect little soldier). So, he was scared that he would end up shutting his child out of his life or – even worse – end up hating his child for forcing him to change his entire life and stop hunting. 

However, the first time Dean felt Noah kick from inside his belly, he knew that he would try to be the best father that he could possibly be. And ever since then, he has been. 

“So are you, Cas.” Dean murmured softly, glancing over at Castiel with a shy smile. Before he had the chance to respond, Dean tilted his head down and pressed his lips to Castiel’s, kissing him slowly. Castiel reacted enthusiastically, immediately parting his lips and allowing Dean to explore his mouth with his tongue. Dean couldn’t stop the shiver of pleasure that ran down his spine when Castiel’s tongue began fighting for dominance. 

Before Dean had the chance to deepen the kiss, they were interrupted by the sound of Noah’s giggles. With a playful groan, Dean pulled his lips from Castiel’s and glanced down at their son who was staring up at his fathers with a silly grin behind his pacifier. “What?” Dean teased the six-month-old, “Do you think it’s funny to see your daddies kissing?” 

“I think he just wants attention.” Castiel chuckled, tickling Noah’s tummy, which only caused the baby to giggle louder and squeal with happiness. 

A minute later, Dean heard the front door open and close, meaning that Sam was home. Looking up, he saw Sam jogging down the stairs to the living room. “I’m home, honey!” He called out with a big grin as he made his way towards the couch. 

The moment that Noah spotted Sam, his eyes completely lit up and he let out an excited shriek, crawling over to the end of the couch and raising his arms out towards his Uncle Sammy. Sam laughed, leaning down and picking up Noah, hugging him close to his chest and giving him multiple kisses all over his face. “Hi, baby boy!” He greeted as he sat on the loveseat with his nephew held in his arms. 

Rolling his eyes fondly, Dean leaned back on the couch, watching his younger brother interact with his son, “How can you be so happy in this weather, Sammy?” Dean grumbled, wrapping an arm around Castiel’s shoulders. “It’s hotter than Satan’s assh–” He began to say before glancing at Noah. However, the baby was too distracted by Sam’s hair to pay any attention to his daddy. Even though Noah couldn’t understand what was going on, Dean still didn’t like to swear in front of his son. “—butthole.” He finished lamely. 

Castiel grinned, curling up to Dean’s side before looking over at Sam and asking, “Why're you home so early, Sam? I thought that you were closing the library tonight.” 

About a year ago, Sam decided that he wanted to get a job to help bring in some extra cash for the family. Sam was able to find a job at the local library, dealing with antique novels and helping to translate books from other languages to English. It wasn’t the best job, but Sam enjoyed it. Plus, it got him out of the house and allowed him to meet new people. 

“I was supposed to close the library tonight but the heat was too much, so, they decided to just close up early for the day,” Sam answered Castiel before glancing at Dean. “And why shouldn’t I be so happy, big brother?” He questioned, settling Noah on his lap, “The weather’s hot, I got out of work early, I’m holding the cutest baby in the world and now I get to spend the rest of the day with my family.”

Castiel snorted in amusement as Dean narrowed his eyes at his younger brother. “What’re you up to, Sammy?” He asked, watching as Sam began to run his fingers through Noah’s sandy blonde hair, causing it to stick up in random places.

“Well… I was thinking that we could spend the afternoon at the public pool.” He said, gauging Dean’s reaction before continuing. “I mean, we could even cook out.” Sam paused, eyes flickering from Dean to Castiel and back again. “On my way home from the library, I picked up hamburger patties, buns, pasta salad, and even pie.”

“That does sound nice, Dean.” Castiel commented, looking over at his boyfriend. “Noah’s never been in a pool before and you’ve been complaining about the heat all day.”

Dean groaned, rubbing his hand over his face tiredly. Looking up again, he noticed both Castiel and Sam giving him puppy-dog eyes. It was hard enough to resist Sam’s puppy-dog eyes (even with the practice he’s had growing up with his brother), but it was nearly impossible to say no whenever Castiel made them, too. Throwing his hands up in the air, Dean admitted defeat. “Fine, but I’m only agreeing for my son.” 

Sam gave Dean a wide grin before pretending to whisper in Noah’s ear, “With you, I can get away with anything!” Which caused Noah to giggle loudly, showing off his gummy smile. 

“Give me my son.” Dean said playfully, rolling his eyes. Standing up, he walked over to the loveseat to pick up Noah from his uncle’s arms. Settling his son on his hip, Dean gave him multiple kisses on his chubby cheeks, causing the baby to squeal in delight. Dean laughed as he began to walk towards his bedroom, calling out over his shoulder, “C’mon, Cas. Oh, Sam, you better have everything packed and ready to go by the time we’re ready!”

Dean heard an affirmative from Sam before Castiel caught up to them, wrapping an arm around Dean’s shoulders. “See, I told you it was a good thing that we got Noah his swimming diaper.” Castiel said smugly, opening their bedroom door. 

When Dean and Castiel started sharing the same bedroom, they decided to give it a makeover. Taking advantage of the concrete walls, they decided to give the room a gray-theme. Against the wall there was a king-sized bed that was covered in a black comforter and piled with pillows. The bed was connected to a gray wall-mount headboard. On each side of the bed, there were nightstands that matched the headboard and held black lamps that brightened up the entire room. Along with that, they had a matching dresser and a mirror. Their bedroom was simple but effective. 

Shaking his head, Dean turned on the light in their bedroom. “This has all been a conspiracy since the beginning!” He laughed before setting Noah down in the middle of the bed. “Can you go get Noah’s swimming diaper from his nursery?”

Castiel chuckled, nodding his head. “Of course. I'll be back in a minute.”  
Dean smiled to himself as he turned towards their dresser, rummaging through the drawers as he searched for both of their swim trunks. After a few minutes of combing through their clothes, he finally found them in the bottom drawer. Closing the drawer with his foot, Dean walked back over to the bed, mumbling, “I’m not even sure if these will fit.”

“I'm sure that they will fit,” Castiel responded, walking back into their bedroom and handing Dean the swimming diaper. “Can you change him while I use the bathroom?” He questioned, picking up his own pair of swim trunks. 

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Dean said, pecking his boyfriend’s lips before turning to their son, giving him a big grin. “Are you excited to put on your brand-new swimming diaper, Noah?” He asked, moving him to the edge of the bed and laying him on his back.

Before Dean began to undress Noah, he gently pulled the pacifier from his lips, setting it on the night stand. Noah giggled, immediately bringing his fingers to his mouth, beginning to suck sloppily. Dean couldn’t help but laugh as he unsnapped his onesie, taking it off. 

Once Dean had taken off the onesie, he tossed it to the side of the bed, discarding the outfit. Leaning down to give Noah a kiss on the cheek, Dean started to undo his diaper, noticing that it was completely clean. “You’re such a clean little baby, aren’t you?” He teased, leaning down to give his son a raspberry on his bare tummy. 

Noah squealed in amusement, wigging a bit and giving his daddy a big smile. Dean chuckled, standing back up again before pulling off his diaper all the way, balling it up and tossing it into the garbage can in the corner of their bedroom. 

Picking up the swimming diaper, Dean gently pushed Noah’s legs through the holes, pulling it up to his waist. Once it was on, Dean stuck two fingers under the waistband to make sure it fit nice and snug. The fabric was plastic and soft to the touch, making it comfortable for Noah. The deep blue of the swimming diaper brought out Noah’s eyes while the red and gold of the sailboats and anchors gave it a pop of color. Dean would never say this aloud, but the swimming diaper was quite adorable and definitely made Noah look even cuter. 

After confirming that the swimming diaper fit Noah, Dean grinned down at his son. “Okay, I have to admit that you do look cute.” He said, leaning down to pick him up.

“Ah-ha!” Castiel exclaimed, walking back into their bedroom. “I knew that you secretly loved it.” He smirked, standing in front of Dean and plunking Noah from his arms. Noah squealed happily and leaned his head on Castiel’s shoulder. “I told you that he would look adorable.” 

Dean sighed, rolling his eyes fondly. “Okay, okay… the swimming diaper doesn’t look as silly as I thought it would,” He conceded, looking Castiel up and down. “You look pretty good, too, babe.” Dean winked, leaning in to give Castiel a quick kiss on the lips. 

Castiel was wearing a pair of swim trunks that hugged his thighs nicely and showed off his legs. Dean had to admit that even after a few years of being together, he still found Castiel just as attractive as he did the first time he laid eyes on him. 

Castiel blushed, rubbing Noah’s bare back with the palm of his hand. “Go get changed while I finish getting our son ready.” He said, shooing Dean to the bathroom. 

Dean laughed, picking up his swim trunks. “Alright, I’m going, I’m going.” He responded, turning around and heading towards the door. 

Maybe swimming wouldn’t turn out to be such a bad idea after all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s not that funny,” Dean remarked, rolling his eyes as he twisted off the cap of the beer, tossing it aside. “It’s not my fault that the sun hates me.” He mumbled before taking a sip of his beer. 
> 
> “Maybe that's why Dean has freckles all over his body,” Castiel commented, walking over to Dean and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “From the sun abusing him when he was a baby.”
> 
> Or, the time that Dean Winchester goes swimming with his ex-angel boyfriend, his annoying younger brother, and his adorable son; part 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for commenting and leaving kudos. It makes me motivated to write and post chapters faster. I want to write a few more chapters of the adventures of Dean, Sam, Castiel and Noah, so, please let me know in the comments if you'd be interested in reading more! I hope to have another chapter out by the weekend, but my birthday is on Thursday, so, it might be pushed back until next week. But it will be coming soon! Also, I just want to say that I don't think babies getting sunburn is funny. I just thought with how the Winchester's were raised, they'd think it was funny that it happened to Dean, but they'd never let it happen to Noah. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please comment!

“You better have brought the pie.”

Sam, who was pulling the car into a parking space at the public pool, glanced over at Dean and rolled his eyes. “Do you really think that I would forget to pack the pie?” He asked.

“It wouldn’t be the first time that you forgot the pie.” Castiel commented from the backseat. He was sitting next to Noah, who was strapped in his car seat and was playing with his favorite stuffed animal; an elephant plushie that Sam had got for him the day that he was born. 

Dean glanced back at his boyfriend with a grin before looking over at Sam. “Exactly my point.” He said smugly. 

“Well, I didn’t forget to pack the pie today,” Sam responded confidently as he put the car in park and unbuckled his seatbelt. “It’s a cherry pie that was baked fresh this morning at the store.” He added as he climbed out of the car. 

Dean licked his lips as he thought about how delicious a freshly baked cherry pie was going to taste before opening the passenger seat door and getting out of the car. “That’s what I like to hear, Sammy!” He exclaimed, giving his brother a big grin as he walked around the car. 

Sam chuckled as he opened up the trunk of the car, getting out the cooler and the backpack that they had brought. “Yeah, anything for my big brother,” He replied sarcastically. “Cas, can you carry the bag for me?”

They were planning on just bringing their individual towels, but once they realized how many things that they had to bring, they decided to just use an old backpack to stuff the towels in, as well as anything else that they needed (sunscreen, a hat for Noah and diapers, just to name a few things). 

“Of course. Just give me a minute,” Castiel answered, reaching over the middle console of the backseat to unbuckle Noah from his car seat and picking him up. A moment later, he climbed out of the backseat, holding Noah in his arms. “Go to daddy, baby.” He mumbled, giving his son a kiss on the cheek before handing him to Dean. 

Dean smiled, plucking Noah from Castiel’s arms and settling him on his hip. Once he was secure, Dean gently gripped one of his bare feet, giving it a gentle shake. “Where are your shoes, Noah?” He teased his son. 

Noah giggled loudly and leaned his head on Dean’s shoulder before staring up at his daddy with his big, blue eyes. Even though Noah had no idea what was happening, he still managed to look innocent. 

“He tore them off in the car,” Castiel replied as he collected the bag from Sam, holding it by the handle in one of his hands. “So, I decided to just leave them off of him.” 

Dean nodded, leaning against the car as he waited for Castiel and Sam to finish getting everything that they needed. “I don’t know why he does that.” He commented, looking down at his son. For the past few weeks, Noah has been constantly pulling off the shoes that they try to put on his feet. Dean hopes that it’s just a phase that he’s going through. It wasn’t a big problem now since Noah couldn’t walk yet and only crawled. However, it could become an issue if he continues this habit by the time he begins to walk.

“I’m sure that he’ll get over it soon,” Sam said, closing the trunk of the car and holding the cooler in one hand, balancing paper plates, utensils, and hamburger buns on top of it. “I mean, don’t most babies go through some weird phase like this?”

Dean shrugged his shoulders, noticing a smudge of dirt on the door of the car and using his thumb to rub it off. If this was the Impala, Dean wouldn’t let dirt anywhere near the paint job. However, when Dean found out he was pregnant with Noah and made the choice to give up hunting, he decided to retire the Impala. Even so, the car was still parked in the bunker’s garage and Dean still drives it whenever the opportunity presented itself. 

As much as he loved the Impala, it wasn’t very effective when you have an eight-month-old, especially with the trunk full of weapons. Even though they were done with hunting, they decided to keep all of the weapons in case of an emergency. Just because they were done looking for monsters didn’t mean that monsters were done looking for them. 

So, as a result, they decided to save up their cash and buy a used Toyota. It wasn’t the coolest car but it was useful and safe for Noah and as a parent, that’s all that Dean cared about. 

“Well, you didn’t.” Dean pointed out. 

“Our childhood wasn’t normal, Dean, so, I don’t think we’re a good comparison.” Sam replied as they all began walking towards the entrance of the public pool. 

“We could just Google it.” Castiel remarked as he walked alongside Dean.

Dean chuckled, nodding his head. “Not a bad idea, Cas.” He responded, bouncing Noah a bit as they walked, causing the baby to giggle in delight. 

Ever since Castiel became human, he has become the master of Google, turning any question (even the simplest of questions) into an opportunity to use the famous website. In fact, he’s almost gotten as obsessed with technology as Sam is. 

“Okay, we need to find a spot under some shade so my nephew doesn’t burn.” Sam commented as he opened the gate to the public pool, allowing Dean and Castiel to walk in front of him. 

“That corner over there has some shade under the trees,” Castiel observed, nodding his head in the direction that he was indicating. “We can just drag some chairs over.”

“If we can find any.” Dean muttered, looking around the busy public pool. 

There were more people than Dean was expecting spending their Friday afternoon at the public pool. He noticed that there were quite a few families gathered around with kids; one woman was heavily pregnant and trying to control her two children while her husband was relaxing on a chair only a few feet away. 

Dean couldn’t help but roll his eyes and was suddenly grateful that Castiel put in as much effort in raising their son as he did. He also couldn’t help but feel bad for the mother; he remembered being pregnant last summer and how uncomfortable it was. He couldn’t imagine going through that again with two children and a lazy husband. 

There were also a few annoyed younger couple lounging around the pool in chairs as they tried to soak up as much sun as possible. It must’ve been hard to relax around the pool with so many kids screaming and running around. However, Dean figured that’s what they deserved for trying to unwind at a public pool. 

“Cas, take Noah while I help Sam drag chairs over here,” Dean said, handing Castiel their son once they reached the shaded area. “And put his hat on him, okay? I put it in the backpack.”

Castiel gave Dean a confused look before nodding his head and bending over to dig through their backpack with Noah held against his chest. Before they even left the bunker, Castiel had applied sunscreen to their son, so, he didn’t really know why Dean wanted Noah to wear a hat, too. 

Nevertheless, he did what Dean told him to do and pulled out a blue baseball cap small enough to fit Noah. With a grin, Castiel settled Noah on his hip before placing it onto his son’s head. Noah gave a soft squeak of surprise and tried to glance upwards to see what was covering his head, causing his eyes to go crisscrossed. Castiel chuckled, adjusting the baseball cap on his head a bit to give it a better fit. 

Grinning, Sam dragged over two chairs to the shaded area underneath the trees as he glanced over at Castiel and Noah. “When Dean was a baby, he would get sunburn all over his head,” He explained, dropping the chairs and walking over to pick up Noah from Castiel. “I wasn’t born then, obviously, but I heard all the stories growing up.” He paused to give his older brother a smirk as he watched Dean carry one of the unoccupied tables over to their area. 

“Don’t,” Dean warned, setting the table down in front of their stuff. It wasn’t heavy; it was a white plastic table that could be moved all around the pool for anyone’s convenience. “I will push you in the pool if you don’t shut up, Sammy.” He threatened as he moved the chairs to sit around the table. 

Sam’s smirk only grew larger as he gently bounced Noah in his arms, showing the baby off. “Not if I’m holding Noah.” He laughed before glancing over at Castiel, who was watching the two brothers in amusement. 

“We even have a picture of baby Dean back at the bunker. It was one of the photo’s we were able to save from the fire and keep all of these years,” He paused for a moment before continuing. “Anyways, in the picture, baby Dean is bright red. His hair was thin and blonde, so, even his head is burnt. I swear that he looks like a tomato.”

Castiel grinned widely as he chuckled loudly, beginning to move all of their things from the floor to the table. “You'll have to show me that photo when we get home tonight.”

Dean groaned as he opened up the cooler, digging around for a moment before emerging with a beer. He didn’t drink as often as he used to; in fact, he only had a few beers a week and never had enough to get him intoxicated or even tipsy. The most he had in a night was two beers and that was only for special occasions, such as today. Nowadays, having a beer was a treat instead of a right and Dean has to admit that ever since he stopped drinking so heavily (when he found out he was pregnant with Noah), he’s definitely felt and looked better.

“It’s not that funny,” Dean remarked, rolling his eyes as he twisted off the cap of the beer, tossing it aside. “It’s not my fault that the sun hates me.” He mumbled before taking a sip of his beer. 

“Maybe that's why Dean has freckles all over his body,” Castiel commented, walking over to Dean and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “From the sun abusing him when he was a baby.”

Sam howled in laughter, startling Noah who was resting against his chest. However, instead of being scared by his uncle’s loud laughing, Noah began to giggle, too. “Even Noah thinks it’s funny!” Sam managed to say in-between laughter.

Dean rolled his eyes again, setting his bottle of beer on the table before walking over to Sam and grabbing his son. “No, the only thing Noah finds funny is your high-pitched cackling.” He smirked at his younger brother, who only continued to laugh. 

Even though Dean thought that Sam was being a little bit obnoxious right now, he couldn’t help but smile at the sound of his brother’s laughter. “Anyways, Noah and I are going to go enjoy the refreshing pool.” He announced, slipping Noah’s shirt and shorts off to reveal his swimming diaper. He handed the clothes to Castiel, who folded them and set them on the table. 

Holding Noah in one arm, Dean pulled off his own shirt and tossed it to the side, showing off his muscled stomach and chest. During his pregnancy with Noah, Dean had gained twenty pounds but had worked hard to lose it once his son was born. Even though Castiel didn’t mind his weight gain, it still felt good to see the lustful look on his face whenever Dean took off his shirt and showed off his toned body. 

“I'll join you in a minute,” Castiel said as he watched Dean, licking his lips. “ I'm just going to get a drink.”

Dean nodded his head before giving his boyfriend a peck on the lips and walking towards the pool with Noah. 

“Can you stop staring at my brother’s ass while I’m sitting right here?” Dean heard Sam whine from behind him. 

Dean smirked as he reached the steps of the pool, settling Noah on his hip and mumbling to his son, “Papa is silly, huh?”

Noah giggled, wrapping his arms around Dean’s neck and glancing around, taking in the new environment. 

Waiting for Castiel before getting into the water, Dean decided to sit on the edge of the first step, allowing his feet and ankles to submerge underwater. Even though Dean wasn’t a big fan of swimming, he had to admit that the water felt good in this heat. It was definitely refreshing with the sun beating down on him.

Sitting Noah on his knees, Dean cupped a hand of water and drizzled it over his son’s chubby legs, causing the baby to shriek in excitement. Noah has always loved the water during his bathes, even when he was a newborn; so, Dean wasn’t surprised at how happy Noah seems to be with the water. 

“Does it feel nice?” Castiel asked, appearing besides Dean and taking a step onto the first stair of the swimming pool, submerging his feet underwater. 

“It does,” Dean nodded his head, watching as Castiel takes another step onto the next stair with the water raising to his knees.” Our son already likes it.”

Castiel laughed. “With how much he loves bathes? I’m not surprised. This is basically a giant bathtub for him,” He grinned, leaning down to pick up Noah. “Also, Sam said that he's going to bring one of the grills over to our area and then he'll join us.”

Dean nodded again with a smile before standing up and following Castiel down the steps of the pool until they both reached the bottom where the water was up to their waists. However, Castiel was holding Noah above the water, so, their son wasn’t wet yet.

“Are you ready to get wet?” Castiel asked Noah in a babyish voice, causing Dean to roll his eyes playfully. “Don't worry, you'll love the water. It's cooler than the bathes we give you at home, but it'll feel good in this heat.” He continued on talking to their son, acting as if Noah could understand what was going on. 

Dean chuckled softly as Noah babbled incoherently, mocking his papa in the conversation that they were pretending to have. 

Moving closer to his boyfriend and son, Dean leaned forward to adjust the baseball cap on Noah’s head, angling it so that the sun wasn’t in his eyes. “Alright, let’s see how he likes the pool.” Dean grinned. 

Castiel nodded his head a bit and gripped Noah underneath his armpits, holding him just above the water before slowly dunking his tiny feet under. Stopping there, Castiel and Dean watched as Noah’s eyes widened and he kicked his feet underneath the water, exploring the new sensation.

“I knew he’d like it!” Sam hooted, clapping his hands together as he stood next to the pool, watching his nephew in the water for the first time. 

A few people glanced over towards them, wondering what all the noise was about but Dean didn’t care. It was nice to be with his family, laughing and enjoying the tiny human being who made such a great impact on all of their lives. 

Dean and Castiel began laughing, watching their son try to reach his arms down into the water. However, Castiel was still holding him by his armpits, not allowing him to go too deep into the water. 

A moment later, Sam jumped into the pool, causing a huge splash and waves to ripple throughout the water. Dean rubbed water out of his eye, listening as Noah squeaked loudly in excitement as the water splashed all over him. 

“You just created a wave pool.” Dean teased Sam, looking around as the waves began to settle down.  
Sam laughed, rolling his eyes as he stood up in the water. “Your son enjoyed it.” He commented with a grin, watching as Noah kicked his feet underneath the water in time with the waves. 

“Of course, he did,” Castiel replied fondly, wiping a droplet of water off of Noah’s cheek. “He enjoys anything that is wet and moves.”

Instead of responding, Sam plucked Noah from Castiel’s drip and dunked the baby underneath the water until it reaches his waist, causing Noah to giggle and shriek in pure joy. 

Dean couldn’t help but smile as he watched Sam continue to hold Noah by his waist in the water, giving the eight-month-old enough freedom to kick his legs and move his hands around in the water. 

“I wish we had thought to get a baby float,” Sam said as he held onto the wiggling baby. “That way he could’ve enjoyed the water without being held.”

“Well, maybe we could’ve bought one if you didn’t manipulate me into coming to the pool an hour before we came.” Dean pointed out with a smirk as he ran his fingers through the water, relishing in the coolness of it. 

Castiel laughed quietly, nodding his head in agreement as he drizzled water all over his shoulders and chest with his hand. “Dean has a good point, Sam.”

Sam smiled sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders as he lowered Noah in the water a little bit more, allowing the water to reach his belly button. “There’s always next time.” He declared with a mischievous grin, making Dean roll his eyes in response. 

“Excuse me,” A feminine voice interrupted, causing all three boys to turn their heads in the direction that it came from. A few feet away, sitting at the edge of the pool with her feet dipped into the water, was a woman with blonde hair that appeared to be in her late-twenties. She was wearing a black one-piece swimsuit and had a big, floppy sun hat on her head, covering her face from the sun. “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation and I just wanted to offer you my daughter’s swim float.” She explained, pointing next to her where there was a green and blue inflatable swim float that was covered in colorful cartoon octopuses.

“Really?” Sam asked, glancing up at the woman’s face as he lifted Noah from the water, holding him against his chest. Noah let out a small whimper, fighting against his uncle to get back into the water. “Are you sure?”

Dean reached forward and grabbed Noah from Sam, settling the baby on his hip so that the tips of his toes were touching the surface of the water. 

The woman nodded her head, causing her curls to bounce against her shoulders. “I’m sure. It’s just sitting there, anyway, so, someone should get some use out of it.” She smiled. “Oh, by the way, I’m Anna.”

Sam returned her smile. “My name’s Sam,” He introduced himself before nodding his head in the direction of Dean and Castiel. “That’s my older brother Dean, his boyfriend Castiel, and their son, Noah.”

Castiel waved and Dean nodded his head in greeting, using his free arm to wrap around Castiel’s waist protectively. Castiel leaned into Dean’s body, relaxing into his hold. Even though it was the twenty-first century and most people were okay with a gay couple, Dean still felt the need to protect Castiel from any harmful words or reactions. Since they began dating, they’ve only encountered a few homophobes, but you can never be too careful. 

“Nice to meet you all,” She replied in a friendly voice before waving at Noah. “Hello, handsome little man!” She grinned widely. “By the way, I love his swimming diaper! It’s so cute.”

“Thank you,” Castiel replied, giving Dean a smug smile before reaching over Dean's shoulder to use his own hand to make Noah wave back at Anna. “Say, hi, Noah.” He said in a soft voice.

Noah allowed his hand to be manipulated as he stared at the woman for a few seconds before showing off his gummy smile and hiding his face in the curve of Dean’s neck, pulling his hand away from Castiel’s.

“He’s a little shy at this age.” Dean explained, running the palm of his hand down Noah’s bare back. 

“Aren’t they all?” Anna grinned and let out a small laugh. “He’s beyond adorable. How old is he?”

“He just turned six-months-old,” Dean answered with a proud smile. “How old is your daughter?”

“Lucy’s fifteen-months-old,” She responded. “At six-months-old, she was as shy as Noah is. However, once she was a year old, she grew to love the attention of other people.”

“Yeah,” Dean said with a nod of his head. “We’re definitely not expecting him to be this shy forever. We have a feeling that he’s going to end up being the life of the party.” He chuckled, glancing over at Castiel with a grin. 

Since Dean and Castiel both had very strong personalities and could get along well with others (when they wanted to), they knew that Noah wouldn’t continue to be shy as he grew older. In fact, Dean remembers Sam being the same way when he was a baby and a toddler. However, that trait wore off as Sam got older, so, Dean expects the same thing to happen to Noah. 

Castiel returned Dean’s smile before turning towards Anna. “By the way, where is your daughter?” He asked with furrowed eyebrows. 

“Oh!” Anna perked up, looking over her shoulder. “She’s with her father at the table over there. She was being fussy, so, my husband decided that it was time for a snack,” She laughed. “That’s Lucy and her father, Jack.” She pointed out with a manicured fingernail. 

The three boys all looked in the direction that she pointed to, watching as Anna waved to a man sitting on a chair with his daughter on his lap, feeding her something out of a jar. The man waved back to his wife with a grin before turning his attention back to his daughter. 

“Your daughter is a cutie.” Sam commented with a smile. Dean and Castiel nodded their agreements. 

“Thanks,” Anna responded, using her hand to brush her curls behind her shoulder. “She’s cute but a lot of work, especially now that she’s walking everywhere and getting into things that she shouldn’t be.”  
“That's something we have to look forward to.” Castiel teased Dean with a grin, glancing down at their son in Dean’s arms. Castiel watched as Noah uncovered his face from Dean’s neck, looking around as he explored the environment with his eyes. 

Dean groaned, shaking his head. Looking down at Noah, he used the tip of his thumb to rub against his son’s cheek, causing the baby to look up at his daddy. “He’s at the perfect age right now. I still can’t believe that he’s six-months-old already. It seems like just yesterday I was–” Once Dean realized what he was about to say, he stopped himself from continuing that sentence. 

Dean glanced up to see all three of them staring at him; Sam and Castiel looked as if they were about to jump in at any second to avoid him from saying anything more and Anna had a fond smile on her face, watching the way Dean was interacting with his son. 

Despite the fact that Dean couldn’t say it out loud, it was still true. Sometimes it did seem like it was just yesterday that Dean had given birth to his little boy. It pained him to realize how fast Noah was growing and sometimes Dean wished that he could just stop time and enjoy his baby at this age forever. 

Dean cleared his throat. “It seems like just yesterday that Noah was born.” He corrected himself lamely, hoping that Anna didn’t notice anything weird about what he was about to say. 

However, it looked as if she was having her own sentimental moment, too. She nodded her head. “I know what you mean. I still can’t believe that Lucy is over a year old now! Sometimes I think about having another baby, but then I have to chase her around the house and I remember that it’s probably a good idea to wait until she’s older.” 

Everyone laughed, nodding their heads. Although Dean couldn’t help but wonder if he would ever be able to have another baby. Noah was a miracle and based on the Winchester track record, miracles didn’t happen very often to them. Since Dean was the only exception to the whole males-can’t-get-pregnant-and-have-babies rule, sometimes he wondered if getting pregnant was a fluke in fate or if it happened for a reason. Whatever it was, Dean didn’t like to question it in fear that something would take Noah away from them. 

Hearing whimpering, Dean looked down to see Noah getting fussy. He was pushing against Dean’s chest and using his hands to reach for the water. Even though it’s only been a few minutes, it was clear that Noah was done with all the talking and wanted to get back to swimming. 

“Someone’s ready to get back in the pool.” Anna grinned. She reached over and grabbed her daughter’s swim float, handing it over to Sam, who was the closest to her. 

“This is really nice of you,” Sam smiled, taking it from Anna before walking through the water towards Dean and standing in front of him. He placed the swim float in the water, bouncing on the heels of his feet as he waited in excitement for Dean to place Noah in it. “Let’s see if Noah likes it.”

“I'm sure that he will love it.” Castiel commented as he held onto the side of the swim float, keeping it steady in the rippling water. 

The swim float was a mesh material that’s made to stay cool and light in the pool; it had a seat in the middle of it, so, that the baby will be able to sit comfortably and enjoy the water at the same time. There was even a canopy that will protect the baby from the sunlight. 

Holding Noah in his arms, Dean started to maneuver his son’s legs into the holes, sitting him down in the seat. Once Noah was sitting comfortably in the swim float, Dean adjusted the canopy so that it was covering Noah’s face and shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun. Noah leaned forward in the seat, kicking his legs underneath the water and gripping the side of the swim float, shrieking in happiness at finally being in the water again. 

“He loves it!” Sam exclaimed with a big grin, taking ahold of the handles on the swim float and pushing it through the water.

“I’m so glad that he likes it,” Anna laughed, watching Noah giggle and clap his hands together as his uncle continued to move him through the water. “Lucy has never been a big fan of it, so, it’s nice to see Noah enjoying it.”

“He’s never going to want to leave.” Dean chuckled softly as he watched his brother push Noah through the water; he was navigating throughout the pool, keeping clear from people swimming and little kids playing around. Even though Dean knew that Sam would never let anything happen to Noah, he still kept an eye on them, watching as Noah smiled at everyone and splashed his hands in the water. 

“He's going to have a temper tantrum when it is time to give it back.” Castiel pointed out with a laugh, leaning his head on Dean’s shoulder as he watched Sam and Noah.

“Well, you guys can keep it,” Anna told them and looked back over at Dean and Castiel with a smile. “So that Noah can use it every time you bring him to the pool.” She explained. 

“Are you sure?” Dean asked her, raising an eyebrow. 

“I’m positive. Like I said before, Lucy doesn’t like it and she’s getting too big for it, anyway.” She insisted, bobbing her head up and down. 

“Thank you. That's very nice of you.” Castiel said sincerely.

“It’s a good thing that Noah can’t understand what’s going on or else you’d be his new favorite person for the day.” Dean joked, causing them all to laugh. As they all laughed and continued to talk, Dean couldn't help but admit to himself that he was having a good time and was even glad that Sam had manipulated him into coming to the public pool today. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I don’t know how you can be hungry with all of the pool water that you swallowed.” Castiel teased him as they began making their way towards the steps of the pool, pushing Noah in front of them.
> 
> “It was an accident!” Sam exclaimed as he began to climb out of the pool. “It burned my throat, too.”
> 
> Or, the time that Dean Winchester goes swimming with his ex-angel boyfriend, his annoying younger brother, and his adorable son; part 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After reviewing my work, I decided to cut chapter 3 into two different chapters. I felt that it was a little bit too long and would discourage people from reading the entire thing. Please leave me comments if you like longer or shorter chapters so I know for the future. If you've already read chapter 3 before I separated the chapters, I apologize but chapter 5 should be out soon. Oh, I also changed a few things, too, so, you might want to skim through it again! Thank you!

For the next twenty minutes, Dean, Sam and Castiel all stayed in the pool, swimming and taking turns pushing Noah around while talking to Anna and getting to know her better. So far, they’ve learned that she’s twenty-nine-years-old, she works at the elementary school as a third-grade-teacher (today they had a half-day because of the heat), and she married her husband, Jack, right out of high school when she was only eighteen-years-old and he was twenty-two-years-old. However, as much fun as it was to be in the pool with his family (especially pushing Noah around in the swim float when he’d give Dean his biggest smile and squeal in excitement) and having races with Anna (since she finally decided to actually get into the water), it was time to start grilling up the hamburgers. 

“As much as I’d love to see Sam lose in a breath-holding-contest to Anna, I have to start getting dinner ready,” Dean laughed as Castiel pushed Noah towards him. He leaned down to give his son a kiss on the forehead before pecking Castiel’s lips, giving him a quick kiss. “Tell me if Sam cries when he loses.” Dean teased, swimming towards the steps of the pool. 

“I will give you a minute-by-minute report later.” Castiel confirmed with a nod of his head, holding onto the side of the swim float to keep Noah close to him.

“I’ll go easy on you, Sam.” He heard Anna laugh. Dean couldn’t hear what Sam responded with but knew it must’ve been funny once he heard Castiel start laughing. 

Dean couldn’t help but smile as he climbed out of the pool. He was definitely having more fun than he thought he’d have at the public pool. Dean continued to hear the three of them laughing as he walked towards their table. When he reached their stuff, he pulled out a towel from the backpack that they had brought and rubbed it through his hair before wrapping it around his waist. 

Once Dean was dry enough, he turned the electric grill on and angled it so that he’d be able to see what was going on in the pool while he grilled at the same time. The public pool that they were at had electric grills that people could use during the day, so, that they didn’t have to leave in order to have lunch or dinner, which Dean thought was smart. 

Taking a swig of his opened bottle of beer, Dean opened up the cooler, taking out the hamburger patties and setting them on a paper plate. Before they left the bunker, Dean decided to take out the hamburger patties and season them (with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper), so, that they’d be ready to grill. 

After a few minutes of waiting for the grill to heat up, Dean began placing the hamburger patties on the grate, taking pleasure in the sound of sizzling as the meat started to cook. Once all of the hamburger patties were on the grate, Dean closed the lid of the grill, keeping all of the heat inside. He sat down at the table, taking another sip of his bottle of beer before setting it down and glancing over at Castiel and Noah. 

Dean smiled as he watched Noah splash Castiel, slapping his tiny hands against the surface of the water. Castiel rubbed water out of his eye before laughing and leaning forward to plant a big kiss on Noah’s cheek. With a smile still on his face, Dean picked up his phone and scrolled through the newsfeed while keeping an eye on the cooking hamburgers.

A couple of minutes later, Dean glanced up to see Castiel waving him over. After making sure the meat was grilling nicely, Dean began walking over to the edge of the pool, noticing that Anna was out of the water and wrapped up in a pink towel, holding a bag in her hand. Standing beside her was her husband, Jack, who was holding their daughter, Lucy. Stopping next to Anna, Dean smiled. “Hey, what’s going on?”

Taking a peek over at the pool, Dean noticed that Sam was leaning against the wall of the pool, looking up at everyone and Castiel was holding onto the side of the swim float, allowing Noah to continue to play in the water while the adults talked.

“Oh, I was just introducing my husband and daughter to Castiel, Sam and Noah,” Anna explained with a smile as she turned towards Dean. “This is Dean,” She told Jack, “And Dean, this is Jack and Lucy.”

Dean looked over at Jack, giving him a smile. Jack was a little shorter than Dean and had bright red hair, prompting Dean to wonder if it was natural or dyed. However, his question was answered when Dean glanced down at Lucy, who had the same red hair as her dad did. “It’s nice to meet you.” 

“Likewise,” Jack grinned. “Thanks for keeping Anna busy while I calmed this little one down,” He told them, bouncing Lucy in his arm’s a little bit. However, she was too busy staring at Noah to pay attention to anyone else. “I think she might have a crush on your son.” 

Sam laughed, glancing over his shoulder at Noah, who was minding his own business as he leaned forward in the swim float, playing in the water with his hands. “Too bad Noah isn’t interested in girls yet.” He joked.

“Yeah,” Dean chuckled. “He seems to only be interested in bottles, naps, and cuddles at this age.”

“Maybe in a few months,” Castiel suggested with a laugh. “Noah, wave hello to Lucy.” He told his son in a gentle voice to get his attention.

Once Castiel gained Noah’s attention, he directed it towards Lucy. Like earlier, Castiel picked up Noah’s hand and manipulated it to wave towards the little girl. Lucy showed off her toothy grin before becoming shy and hiding her face in the curve of Jack’s neck, causing them all to laugh. 

“Well, we need to get going,” Anna announced, checking the time on her phone. “It’s almost five o’clock and we’ve been here since noon.”

Dean nodded his head. “Thanks for the swim float. As you can see, Noah is enjoying it.” He looked behind his shoulder towards the grill. “I need to go check on the food, but it was nice meeting you.” He said with a smile.

After he said his goodbyes, Dean walked back over to the grill and opened the lid up before flipping the hamburgers over. Once the lid was closed again, he looked up and watched Anna and Jack leave the public pool, chatting among themselves. As nice as it was getting to meet another family with a baby, Dean couldn’t help but feel relieved once they had left. It was nothing against them – they seemed like great people – but it was the hunter in Dean that made him feel uncomfortable with strangers getting so close to his family. Despite the fact that Dean had quit hunting, his training and instincts will always make him a hunter at heart. 

Looking over at the pool again, he watched Sam and Castiel talk as they played with Noah in the pool, pushing him around the water and splashing each other. Dean laughed as Sam dunked Castiel underneath the water, making Noah giggled loudly and clap his hands together excitedly. 

A few moments later, Castiel popped up from the water, laughing and rubbing water out of his eyes. Dean couldn’t hear what Castiel said but he began splashing water towards Sam, encouraging Noah to do the same. Noah watched Castiel for a couple of seconds before using his hands to try and throw water at his Uncle Sam, which only caused the two of them to dissolve into laughter. 

Dean chuckled to himself, keeping one eye on his family while the other was directed towards the grill, making sure the meat was cooking nicely. After confirming that the hamburgers were still grilling, Dean set the table by getting the paper plates and utensils out before digging through the cooler for the tub of pasta. Picking it up from the cooler, Dean set the tub of pasta down on the table and opened up the bag of hamburger buns, getting everything ready to eat. Before closing the cooler again, Dean found the ketchup, mustard, relish and pickles and set them on the table, too. 

A few minutes later, Dean checked the hamburgers to realize that they were finished grilling and looked nice and juicy. He piled them all on a plate before closing the lid of the grill and grabbing a couple of towels. Dean walked over to the edge of the pool, looking down at his younger brother and boyfriend as they continued to mess around in the water and play with Noah. “Dinner’s done,” He announced. “Come and get it when it’s hot.”

“Finally,” Sam grinned, brushing his wet bangs out of his eyes. “I’m starving.”

“I don’t know how you can be hungry with all of the pool water that you swallowed.” Castiel teased him as they began making their way towards the steps of the pool, pushing Noah in front of them.

“It was an accident!” Sam exclaimed as he began to climb out of the pool. “It burned my throat, too.” 

Dean laughed, handing him a towel. “Some things never change, huh, Sammy?”

Sam grumbled under his breath as he rubbed the towel through his hair, drying it as much as he could before wrapping it around his waist. “That still makes me sick to even think about.” He claimed with a grimace. 

“What happened?” Castiel asked as he picked Noah up from the swim float and walked up the steps of the pool. Once he reached the top step, Dean opened up a towel and picked up Noah from Castiel’s arms, wrapping the baby up and drying him off. 

“The one time that we went swimming when we were kids, Sam ended up drinking so much pool water that he was sick the entire night.” Dean chuckled, shaking his head. 

“That sounds like something Sam would do.” Castiel commented as he grabbed the last towel that was hanging over Dean’s shoulder. After wrapping the towel around his waist, he bent over and picked up the swim float from the water. 

“It’s not my fault!” Sam defended himself as they began walking towards their table where the food was waiting for them. “Dean told me that the water was okay to drink.” He tried to explain, only making Dean and Castiel laugh harder. 

“That’s what you get for believing me.” Dean smirked. He sat down in a chair and placed Noah on his lap, leaving the baby wrapped up in the towel so that he will continue to dry. “Everything’s out and ready, so, dig in.” 

“Thank you, Dean.” Castiel said, sitting down next to his boyfriend and leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek before grabbing a plate and filling it up with food. 

“It smells delicious.” Sam commented with a grin as he began making his hamburger. 

“Hopefully it is,” Dean replied, bending over and looking through the cooler to find the tupperware full of fruit and yogurt that he brought for Noah. “You two eat while I feed Noah. I’ll eat afterwards.”

They both nodded as they started eating, making small noises of pleasure as they tasted the hamburgers that Dean had grilled. Dean smiled and picked up the baby spoon, beginning to mash up the strawberries and blueberries that he had for Noah. Since they were still introducing Noah to solid foods, they were only feeding him soft foods, such as mashed-up fruits and yogurt. However, even though he was beginning to eat solid foods, Noah continued to get bottles every morning when he wakes up and every night before bed. 

Fifteen minutes later, they were just finishing up dinner. Everyone had at least two plates full of food and Noah had managed to eat half of the mashed-up fruits and most of the yogurt. That was a lot for Noah to eat for one meal and Dean was proud of him. Now it was time for dessert – A freshly baked cherry pie that Sam had picked up earlier in the day. Dean couldn’t help but lick his lips hungrily as he watched Sam cut through the pie. “It smells like heaven.” Dean said, leaning forward to take in the strong smell of cherries and sugar. 

“Heaven doesn't smell like cherry pie, Dean.” Castiel frowned, furrowing his eyebrows a little bit as he watched Sam place a slice of the cherry pie on a plate before handing it over to Dean.

Dean sighed heavily, taking the plate from Sam and setting it in front of him, repositioning Noah on his lap. The eight-month-old was snuggled against Dean’s stomach, minding his own business as he watched what was going on around him with curious eyes. “Castiel, it’s just a figure of speech,” He explained. “Remember when we talked about what a metaphor was?”

“Oh,” Castiel paused, tilting his head to the side as he stared at Dean. “Right. A metaphor. I forget sometimes.” He admitted sheepishly. 

Dean smirked as he noticed a blush crawling up his boyfriend’s neck. “Well, that’s one of the many reasons why I love you.” 

“Ick,” Sam groaned as he plated another slice of pie and handed it to Castiel. “It’s great that you guys are in love and everything but save the mushiness for after dessert, alright?”

Dean picked up his fork, gathering up a piece of the cherry pie before shoveling it in his mouth, moaning in pleasure at the taste. “Mmmm. Whatever you say, Sammy.” He commented through a mouthful of pie. 

Castiel chuckled, shaking his head fondly as he began to eat the cherry pie. “It is very delicious.”

“Gross,” Sam muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes playfully as he sat down at the table with his own slice of pie. “Since Noah is beginning to eat solid foods now, we should see if he likes cherry pie.” He grinned. 

“Dean ate so much cherry pie during his pregnancy that Noah has to like it.” Castiel insisted. He glanced down at Noah in Dean’s lap, watching as his son tried to reach up to grab the fork. When Noah realized that he couldn’t reach what he wanted, he began to whimper, looking up at Dean with doe eyes. 

“Alright.” Dean laughed, tightening his hold around Noah’s waist to keep him still as he set his fork down on his plate. Dean dabbed his index finger into the filling of the cherry pie and brought it down to Noah’s lips, watching as his son sucked on the tip of his finger to taste. Noah leaned his head away and smacked his lips together a few times before scrunching his face in disapproval. 

Sam chuckled loudly, watching his nephew in amusement. “Maybe you ate a little bit too much cherry pie during your pregnancy.” He teased Dean.

“Don’t worry,” Dean grumbled in response, wiping his finger on a napkin. “He’s just too young to appreciate the beauty and taste of cherry pie.”

Between the three of them, they managed to eat the entire pie. Dean was leaning back in his chair with Noah in his arms, holding his son close to his chest as he watched him blink his eyes sleepily, trying his best to stay awake. Castiel and Sam decided to clean up and pack everything away since Dean had done his part by cooking. “He’s beat,” Dean observed, rubbing his thumb against Noah’s cheek. “He’s going to want his bottle soon.”

“We are almost done,” Castiel replied, digging through the backpack to find the clean clothes that they brought Noah to change him into. A second later, he handed Dean a clean diaper, baby wipes, and a grey stripped onesie that had an elephant on the front of it. “Just change him into his pajamas now, so, that when we get home, he can drink a bottle and go straight to sleep.”

Dean nodded his head in agreement, collecting everything from Castiel. Standing up, Dean laid Noah down on his back on the surface of the table, glancing around to make sure no one was looking before slowly peeling the swimming diaper off and setting it aside. Dean opened up the package of baby wipes and cleaned Noah up before lifting up his legs, laying the diaper underneath him. Noah opened his eyes, staring up at Dean as he whimpered, wiggling as he tried to flip over onto his belly. Dean knew that Noah was beginning to get fussy because he was exhausted and suddenly felt bad for staying at the pool for so long, regardless of how much fun that they’ve all had. “I know, baby boy. I’m almost done.” He mumbled to his son, fastening up the diaper before guiding Noah’s legs into the holes of the onesie, pulling it onto his small body. 

Once Dean had finished dressing Noah, he picked him up and held him against his chest. “Cas, you want to take him and get him strapped into his car seat while I help Sam take everything to the car?” He asked.

“Yeah, I got him.” Castiel replied, taking Noah from Dean’s arms. Dean watched Castiel walk towards the car with Noah held in his arms, rocking him gently to help the six-month-old calm down. 

“He’s exhausted, huh?” Sam asked, appearing next to Dean. He was holding the cooler in one hand and handed Dean the backpack. “It’s all packed up. We’re ready to go.”

“He had a long day today,” Dean answered, taking the bag from Sam. They both began walking towards the car, following behind Castiel. “He woke up at six o’clock this morning and refused to take his morning nap. Castiel was able to put him down for his afternoon nap but it was shorter than usual. I don’t know why he was refusing to nap today when I knew he was tired.” 

“Maybe it was the heat,” Sam suggested. Once they reached the car, he opened up the trunk and put the cooler away. “Even with the air conditioner in the bunker, it can still get pretty warm in there.”

Dean nodded his head, setting the backpack besides the cooler before shutting the trunk. “Yeah, that’s a good point. I think I’m going to have to buy a fan, so, during naptime, he’ll have cool air flowing directly onto him.”

“That might work.” Sam replied, shrugging his shoulders. He turned towards Dean with a smile. “We all had fun today, didn’t we?” He asked. 

Rolling his eyes playfully, Dean nodded his head again. “Yeah, Sammy. It was more fun than I thought it was going to be.” 

“Good, I’m glad,” Sam said, patting Dean on the shoulder before walking around the car and climbing into the driver’s side door. 

Dean smiled to himself as he opened up the passenger seat door and got in. Once Dean was settled into his seat and had his seatbelt on, he glanced behind him and noticed that Noah was buckled into his car seat, sucking tiredly on his pacifier as he tried to keep his eyes open. Castiel was sitting next to the car seat, watching Noah. “Don’t be surprised if he falls asleep before we are home.” Castiel pointed out, looking up at Dean.

“Yeah,” Dean nodded, smiling softly. “I won’t be.”

Even though it was hot outside and Dean will have the smell of chlorine stuck in his hair for the next week, he had to admit that he had fun today and was glad that Sam manipulated him into coming. However, next time, it was Dean’s turn to pick what they were going to do as a family and he was already planning something that involved clowns.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel nodded his head, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth as he rested a hand against Noah’s forehead. “He does feel warm. Should I call the doctor?”
> 
> “No,” Dean responded, picking up the bottle from the end table. “If his temperature is too high then we’ll call the doctor. But chances are that this is just a cold that needs to be treated with rest and cuddles.”
> 
> Or, the time that Dean Winchester, his ex-angel boyfriend and annoying younger brother have to take care of his sick, adorable son; part 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the kudos. It means a lot to me. Please comment on this chapter if you enjoyed it and let me know if you prefer longer or shorter chapters. Also, I highly recommend that you listen Jensen Ackles cover of the song "Simple Man" to get the full affect of this chapter and know what Dean sounds like when he sings to Noah. You can listen to it before or after you read the chapter but this song influenced this chapter, so, it'd mean a lot if you listened to it. Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SniMv8EGiY Remember to comment! Thank you. :)
> 
> P.S. I promise that there'll be more Castiel, Sam and Noah in the next chapter.

The next morning, Noah wakes up with a cough that’s hard enough to rattle his tiny body. The moment that Dean hears the dry hacking, he can’t help but wince in sympathy for his son. Leaning over the side of the crib, Dean picks up Noah, cradling the six-month-old in his arms. The first thing that Dean notices when he touches Noah is the heat radiating off of his skin. Resting Noah against his chest, Dean sighs worriedly and sits down in the rocking chair that’s in the corner of the nursery. 

Once Dean is settled in the rocking chair, he maneuvers Noah so that the baby is resting in the crook of his elbow. This position allows Noah to rest comfortably against Dean’s arm but still be able to drink his bottle when Castiel has finished making it. 

Even if Dean couldn’t feel Noah’s fever on his skin, he still would’ve known that something was wrong right away based on how the baby is acting. Usually in the mornings, Noah is a little monkey whose energized and can’t stop moving. However, today, he’s very still and quiet, blinking his eyes open sleepily as he tries to fight off sleep.

Dean uses his foot to push the rocking chair into motion, hoping that the movement will help soothe Noah. As Dean stares down at his baby boy, he feels a pang of sadness at how miserable Noah looks. The six-month-old can barely keep his eyes open and his coughing has gotten worse, prompting Dean to use the palm of his hand to rub his son’s back comfortingly. 

Despite the fact that Noah is normally hyper in the mornings, he still loves to cuddle up to his daddy or papa to be nursed. But right now, it seems like all the baby wants to do is fall back asleep. 

Rubbing his thumb against Noah’s cheek, Dean tries to keep him awake to get his first bottle of the day. Noah lets out a soft whimper, opening his eyes long enough for Dean to catch a glimpse of blue before they close again. 

“Why is it so quiet in here?” Castiel asked as he walks into the nursery. He’s busy screwing the top onto the bottle, so, he doesn’t notice that anything is wrong until he looks up. Once Castiel catches a peek at his boyfriend and son, he immediately rushes towards Dean, setting the bottle on the end table next to the rocking chair. “What’s wrong?”

“Our little man is sick,” Dean murmurs before glancing up into Castiel’s blue eyes that are swimming with fear. Since Noah has been born, he’s only been sick once before now, so, it’s no surprise that Castiel looks deathly worried. His boyfriend doesn’t have a lot of experience with human illnesses and he knows that Castiel is wishing that he still had his grace right about now, so, that he could cure his son with a touch of his fingers. Unfortunately, though, he doesn’t have his grace anymore, so, they need to treat Noah the old-fashioned way. “I think he has a fever, too. Once he’s done with his bottle, I’m going to take his temperature.”

Castiel nodded his head, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth as he rested a hand against Noah’s forehead. “He does feel warm. Should I call the doctor?”

“No,” Dean responded, picking up the bottle from the end table. “If his temperature is too high then we’ll call the doctor. But chances are that this is just a cold that needs to be treated with rest and cuddles.”

Before Dean knew he was pregnant, he wasn’t sure what was causing his symptoms; it could’ve been anything from a witch’s curse to human cancer. So, because of the chances it was caused by something supernatural, he surely couldn’t go to a normal doctor’s office. Instead, he had to go to a retired hunter who had his own practice that specialized in helping other hunters. 

Dr. Franklin was a good man who became close to the Winchester’s once Dean found out he was pregnant and had to take trips to his office every week. Even though Dean’s situation was abnormal and frightening, Dr. Franklin was very supportive and did everything he could to help keep Dean and Noah healthy and safe. 

In fact, they owed everything to the doctor because if it wasn’t for him, Dean didn’t know if he would have survived the pregnancy. Since males weren’t made to get pregnant and have babies, the pregnancy took a huge toll on Dean’s body and by the third trimester, he was barely functioning. 

With that being said, Dr. Franklin became Noah’s pediatrician since he was the only doctor that Dean trusted. He knew that Dr. Franklin had a tight schedule since he was the only doctor for hunters in the Midwest, so, even though Dean knows that the doctor would find a way to make time for the Winchester’s, he didn’t want to bother him for something that is most likely just a common cold.

Unlike Castiel, Dean has a lot of experience with human illnesses and remembers taking care of Sam when he was a sick baby while John was out hunting. So, even though he didn’t like seeing his baby boy sick, Dean had enough confidence to take care of their son without bothering the doctor unless it got any worse. However, it made sense that Castiel was worried since he doesn’t have as much knowledge as Dean does on taking care of a sick baby.

“Are you sure?” Castiel asked, fidgeting a little bit. “I’m sure Dr. Franklin wouldn’t mind seeing Noah on such short notice.”

Dean nodded his head, gently pushing the nipple of the bottle between Noah’s lips. The six-month-old immediately captured the nipple of the bottle between his lips and began to pull at the teat, drinking the milky substance. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind seeing Noah on such short notice, Cas, but it’s not necessary right now. I promise that if his temperature is too high, we’ll call him, okay?”

Castiel paused for a moment before nodding his head with a weary sigh. “Okay, you’re right.” He admitted as he sat down on the ottoman that was sitting in front of the rocking chair. 

Dean watched as Noah continued to nurse from his bottle, making soft sucking noises with his mouth. Glancing up, Dean gave Castiel a small smile. “Of course I am. I have a feeling that this is just a basic cold that Dr. Franklin won’t be able to do anything about but tell us to make sure he’s getting enough fluids and rest.” 

Castiel nodded his head again, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees before rubbing at his face tiredly. “Of course. Is there anything I can do while Noah finishes his bottle?” He asked, glancing up at Dean.

Taking a moment to think about the question, Dean stops rocking the chair and gives Castiel a grave look. “Actually, there is,” He responded, glancing over at the changing table. “Would you mind getting the thermometer ready?”

Castiel followed Dean’s line of sight to the changing table before looking away quickly with a grimace, averting his eyes. “As long as that’s all I have to do.” He replied uneasily. 

“Yeah,” Dean nodded his head, giving his boyfriend a weary smile. “I’ll take his temperature. I just want the thermometer to be ready by the time Noah is finished with his bottle. That way, I can get it over with as soon as possible.”

“The sooner we get this over with, the better,” Castiel sighs as he stands up from the ottoman and walks over to the changing table. Dean nods his head in agreement, watching as Castiel pulls the baby-care-kit from the drawer of the changing table, opening it up and grabbing the thermometer. Setting the kit to the side, Castiel glances at Dean. “I’m going to go wash it with soap and warm water.” 

“Don’t forget to dip it in rubbing alcohol, too.” Dean reminds Castiel, who nods in response. After Castiel walks out of the nursery, Dean looks down at Noah. The six-month-old had managed to pry his eyes open and was staring up at Dean sleepily as he pulled at the teat of the bottle, steadily drinking the baby formula that was mixed with milk. Using the tip of his index finger, Dean traced along Noah’s cheek, encouraging him to drink the entire bottle. 

However, as Noah was trying to swallow the last few drops of the milky substance, he began coughing, causing the liquid to bubble out of his mouth and dribble down his chin. Caught off guard, Dean used the bottom of his shirt to wipe away the sticky milk that was dripping from Noah’s chin.

Once Dean was done cleaning up Noah’s face, he set the bottle on the end table and pressed Noah against his chest, allowing the six-month-old to rest his head on Dean’s shoulder as his coughing got stronger. “It’s okay, little guy,” Dean murmured to his son, using the palm of his hand to rub Noah’s back soothingly. “Just breathe.” 

A few minutes later, Noah’s breathing was back to normal and he was cuddling into Dean’s chest with his eyes closed, attempting to fall back asleep. As much as Dean wanted to keep him awake, he didn’t have the heart to poke and prod his son to make sure he didn’t fall back asleep. 

Thankfully, it was only a couple of moments later that Castiel came back into the nursery with the clean thermometer in his hand. “I’ve cleaned it with soap and warm water and soaked it in rubbing alcohol for a couple of minutes,” Castiel told Dean, walking over to the changing table. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s okay,” Dean replied, standing up. Keeping Noah pressed to his chest, Dean makes his way over to the changing table, standing next to Castiel. “It sounds like his cough is getting worse, though.”

“Our poor baby,” Castiel mumbles, running his fingers through Noah’s sweat-soaked hair. “I’m sorry that you feel so yucky… but daddy and papa will make you feel better soon.” He told their son, placing a kiss to the crown of his head.

Dean gave his boyfriend a sad smile before laying Noah down on his back on the bed of the changing table. Noah slowly blinked his eyes open as he was removed from his daddy’s chest, looking around the nursery in confusion. “It’s okay, baby.” Dean murmured to his son as unsnapped his onesie and pulled it off his body. 

Once Noah was undressed, Dean started to undo his diaper, noticing that it was completely dry. With a frown, Dean looked over at Castiel. “He didn’t wet his diaper last night.” He told him, balling it up and tossing it into the diaper pail that was standing next to the changing table. 

Castiel furrowed his eyebrows in worry. “That’s not normal, Dean. Noah usually wet his diaper every night.”

Dean nodded his head in agreement. “I think it means that he might be getting dehydrated. We’ll just give him a few sips of water throughout the day and feed him a bottle at lunch time instead of solid food.” He reassured Castiel, giving his boyfriend a peck on the cheek. 

Turning back towards his son, Dean bent Noah’s knees to his chest. The six-month-old whimpered, looking up at his daddy with big, blue eyes. Dean tried to ignore the piercing stare his son was giving him as he coated the end of the thermometer with petroleum jelly. “Cas, can you try to distract him while I do this?” He asked, glancing over at his boyfriend. 

Castiel nodded his head, leaning over the side of the crib and grabbing Noah’s favorite elephant stuffed animal that he slept with every night. “Yes, I think this will do.” He replied, giving the plushy a little shake. 

Dean gave Castiel a small smile before turning his attention back towards Noah. He will never enjoy taking his son’s temperature anally, but it was the most accurate and precise method available for a six-month-old.

The last time they had to take Noah’s temperature anally, he wiggled and cried the entire time. Dean was so scared that he had hurt his son that he had called Dr. Franklin and told him how Noah had reacted to having his temperature taken that way. The doctor had assured them that it was normal for some babies to respond like that and the best thing to do is to try to distract them during the process. 

However, it broke Dean’s heart to be the cause of his son’s distress, but it was important to get the correct temperature for a baby this young or there could be consequences. Needless to say, this wasn’t something any of them were looking forward to. 

Taking a deep breath, Dean pressed the button to turn it on before slowly inserting the bulb of the thermometer into Noah until the tip disappeared. The moment that the thermometer entered Noah, the six-month-old began to cry in discomfort, causing fat tears to roll down his cheeks. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Dean used his palm and fingers of the hand holding the thermometer to cup Noah’s buttocks, making sure that he kept a firm grip, so, that the thermometer stays in place. 

Hovering the stuffed elephant over Noah’s face, Castiel gave it a shake, hoping that the movement of his favorite plushy would distract him. “It’s okay, baby. Daddy’s almost done.” He whispered to their son, using the face of the elephant to give Noah kisses all over his face. Despite the fact that Castiel playing with his stuffed animal helped to distract him, Noah continued to sob, watching with watery eyes as his elephant moved around in the air above him.

After what felt like hours, the thermometer finally beeped, indicating that it was able to read and gather Noah’s temperature. Pulling the tip of the thermometer from inside Noah, Dean handed it to Castiel before grabbing a clean diaper and fastening it around his son’s waist. 

Once Dean was done securing the diaper, he picked up Noah and held him to his chest. “I’m so sorry,” He mumbled to his son. “Daddy’s sorry.”

Noah rested his head on Dean’s shoulder, hiding his face in the crook of his neck as he continued to cry. Hearing his son’s loud sobs and feeling his tears soak into the skin of his neck only made the rock in Dean’s stomach feel heavier. 

“Sing to him,” Castiel mumbled to Dean, coming up behind him and running his fingers through Noah’s hair, hoping the movement will help soothe him. “He always calms down whenever you sing.”

Glancing over his shoulder, Dean noticed that his boyfriend looked to be on the verge of tears himself as they both tried to calm their sick son down. Nodding his head, Dean licked his lips and angled his head towards Noah’s ear, so, that they baby will be able to hear over his own crying. 

“Forget your lust for the rich man’s gold, all that you need is in your soul, and you can do this, oh baby, if you try, all that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied,” Dean began to sing softly, using the palm of his hand to rub circles onto Noah’s back. “Be a simple kind of a man, be something you love and understand, baby, be a simple kind of man, oh… won’t you do this for me, son, if you can.”

Taking a breath, Dean noticed that Noah had started to calm down. Even though Dean could still feel tears soaking into his skin, Noah’s crying had gotten drastically quieter, which encouraged Dean to continue singing. “Boy, don’t you worry, you’ll find yourself, follow your heart and nothing else, and you can do this, oh baby, if you try. All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied.”

Even without the music playing, the lyrics of the song were powerful enough to dredge up emotions that made Dean’s throat thick with tears. As he was singing, Dean had to repeatedly blink his eyes to stop the tears from falling. 

The memories attached to this song were far too significant to ever forget; the scent of his mother’s perfume as she sung him to sleep and the long nights when Dean would hum the lyrics to Sam as they lay together on a motel bed, waiting to see if their father would return home from a hunt.

Even though the song made him emotional, Dean continued to sing it to Noah because it reminded him of his mother and it was the only way to give his son a piece of his grandmother that he’d never have the chance to know. 

As Dean was in the middle of singing a verse, Sam appeared in the doorway of the nursery. Without hesitation, Sam was able to recognize the song as the same one that Dean used to sing to him whenever he was sick or had trouble falling asleep. Even as an adult, Sam felt that same sense of safety wash over him as he listened to his older brother sing the lyrics. 

Sneaking into the nursery quietly enough to not interrupt, Sam surveyed the scene in front of him; the way that Dean was holding Noah to his chest as he sung to his son and how Castiel leaned against his boyfriend’s side, running his fingers through Noah’s hair. Sensing that something was wrong, Sam rested his back against the wall, waiting until Dean was done singing to ask questions. 

Once Dean had finished the song, he spoke up. “What’s going on?” He asked. “I could hear my nephew crying right when I walked through the front door.” He frowned, glancing between Dean and Castiel. 

However, by this point, Noah had calmed down enough that his crying had turned into sniffles. The six-month-old was resting against Dean’s chest, blinking his eyes sleepily as he continued to cough hard enough to shake his entire body. 

“Noah’s sick,” Castiel explained, taking a step back from Dean and turning towards Sam. “So, we had to take his temperature. The combination of being sick and having his temperature taken has made him extremely upset.”

Sam’s frown deepened as he nodded his head. “Poor baby,” He mumbled, taking a closer look at his nephew. Now that he was paying attention, Sam noticed that Noah looked exhausted; his face was pale and his forehead was glistening with sweat. “What’s his temperature?

Looking down at the thermometer gripped in his hand, Castiel figured that in the rush to calm down Noah, they completely forgot about it. Holding the thermometer up, he read aloud the number. “101.4.” He answered, looking over at Dean.

Letting out a tired sigh, Dean nodded his head. “So, he has a low-grade fever,” He murmured, glancing down at his son. Noah stared up at Dean, blinking his eyes sleepily as he cuddled into his chest, seeking out the warmth of his daddy’s body. “It’s not too high right now, but a lukewarm bath should help bring his temperature down. Would you guys mind getting him into the bath while I call Dr. Franklin? I just want to check-in with him.”

“Of course,” Castiel said, carefully picking up Noah from Dean’s arms. Noah whimpered at being moved, but right when Castiel rested him against his chest, he snuggled close and held onto his papa. “I feel better knowing that you’re going to call Dr. Franklin, too.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Sam agreed, pushing himself from his position against the wall. “Hopefully Dr. Franklin can give us some advice on how to make Noah feel better.”

Dean nodded his head, running the palm of his hand over Noah’s hair. “You’ll feel better soon, baby, I promise.” He whispered to his son before giving Castiel a peck on the lips. “Alright, I’ll meet you guys in the bathroom when I get off the phone with Dr. Franklin.”

After Castiel and Sam left the nursery, Dean sighed tiredly. Even though the day just started, Dean was already exhausted and could really use a nap. However, one of the things that Dean has learned since becoming a parent was that naps were a rarity, especially when the child was sick. With that in mind, Dean pulled his cellphone from the pocket of his jeans and used the tip of his finger to scroll through his contacts.

Instead of calling the doctor’s office and having to deal with waiting times and secretaries, Dean just decided to call the cellphone number that Dr. Franklin provided him with. It wasn’t the first time that Dean had used this number, but he doesn’t think that he’ll ever get used to having his son’s doctor’s cellphone number, even though he’s grateful for it.  
Pacing around the nursery, Dean held the phone to his ear as he waited. A few rings later, a gruff voice answered. “Dean Winchester!” The doctor exclaimed. “I’m surprised to be hearing from you so soon after Noah’s five-month checkup.”

“Yeah, me too,” Dean admitted with a chuckle. “I hope I’m not bothering you, though.”

“No, not at all,” Dr. Franklin replied. “I’m actually waiting on a couple of hunters to stop by later in the morning. One of them had a nasty fight with a couple of vampires and has a deep gash across his entire abdomen.” 

“Ouch,” He winced in sympathy. One of the things that Dean definitely didn’t miss about hunting was all of the injuries that came with the job. “That’s rough.”

“Yeah,” Dr. Franklin sighed. “Anyways, what can I do for you, Dean?”

Dean rubbed the palm of his hand down his face. “Uh, well… Noah’s sick,” He responded. “He’s not doing too well, but I wanted to call first to see what you think before dragging him to your office.” Dean explained. 

“Well, how about you tell me what symptoms Noah’s experiencing and I’ll let you know if you need to bring him in.” Dr. Franklin suggested.

“Yeah, okay,” Dean said, nodding his head. “He woke up this morning very tired – usually he’s energetic but today he can barely keep his eyes open. He has a horrible dry cough that sounds painful and even though he has a fever of 101.4, he’s been shivering like he has chills or something,” Dean described. “Oh, and he has a stuffy nose.”

Dr. Franklin hummed in response. “Well, it sounds like Noah has the flu.”

“What? The flu?” Dean asked, furrowing his eyebrows. “But it’s May… and he got his flu shot.”

“Unfortunately, flu season is approximately from October to May,” Dr. Franklin explained. “With that being said, this year’s flu shot hasn’t been very effective against this particular strain of the virus. A lot of kids have been getting sick, so, I’m not surprised that Noah’s been infected.” 

Dean sighed. “Does this mean we have to bring Noah in?”

“No, there’s no need to bring him in,” He replied. “Since the flu is caused by a virus, rather than bacteria, there’s no antibiotics that I can prescribe for Noah. However, you need to make sure that he gets plenty of rest and enough fluids. It’s very important to watch out for severe coughing or breathing problems because that can indicate that he has developed pneumonia or bronchitis, which are both very serious infections for a seven-month-old to have.”

“We will definitely keep a close eye on his breathing,” Dean confirmed. “Before Noah was born, I never realized how dangerous the flu could be.” He mumbled, running his fingers through his hair anxiously.

Dr. Franklin chuckled. “Don’t worry, Dean, Noah will be perfectly fine. He should start feeling better in three to five days,” He assured Dean. “However, if his fever gets higher or his breathing is compromised, call me immediately – even if it’s the middle of the night.”

“Don’t worry, I will,” Dean laughed. “But don’t be surprised if Castiel calls you later with questions. He’s even worse than me when it comes to Noah’s health.”

“That’s perfectly fine,” Dr. Franklin replied. “I’m happy to answer any questions that he has. However, I will call back tomorrow to check in and make sure that Noah’s doing okay.”

“Alright, that would be helpful,” Dean admitted. “Thanks for everything, Dr. Franklin.”

“Of course, Dean,” He responded. “Anything for my favorite family.”

After Dean said his goodbyes to Dr. Franklin, he hung up and slid his cellphone back into the pocket of his jeans. Taking a deep breath, Dean tried to tamper down his growing anxiety. Even though it was just the flu, Dean couldn’t help but worry that Noah would develop pneumonia or bronchitis, which could be deadly for someone his age. The virus seemed so harmless when talking about an adult, but it was so much more dangerous for a baby that is scared the shit out of him. Dean didn’t like the fact that his son was sick with something that could be so threatening to his life. However, there was nothing he could do for his son but make sure he got better as soon as possible.


	6. Chapter 6.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “That’s true,” Castiel chimed in, running his fingers through Noah’s hair as the six-month-old continued to drink from his bottle. “Remember that time a few months ago when I tried to wake you up from a nap and you threw a pillow at me, but it knocked the picture frame off of the wall?”
> 
> “Exactly my point,” Sam agreed. “I was picking up glass shreds embedded in the carpet for days.”
> 
> Or, the time that Dean Winchester, his ex-angel boyfriend and annoying younger brother have to take care of his sick, adorable son; part 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for not having this chapter up sooner. I wrote half of it but wasn't happy with it so I decided to rewrite it and I currently have a concussion, so it was hard to write but I finally finished! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Please leave me a comment if you think I should continue with this story or not. I'd appreciate feedback on how I'm writing the characters, too. Thank you.
> 
> P.S. I also changed Noah's age from 8-months-old to 6-months-old.

By the time Dean got to the bathroom, Noah was already laying in his infant tub that was set up over the sink. The six-month-old was resting at an incline and was submerged in lukewarm water with his head tilted to the side and blinking his eyes sleepily. Castiel and Sam were standing side-by-side in front of the sink, dabbing wet washcloths along Noah’s forehead and cheeks in attempt to reduce his fever. 

Walking into the bathroom, Dean wrapped his arms around Castiel’s waist from behind and rested his chin on his shoulder, peering down at their sick son. “He looks worse.” He muttered, observing how pale and sickly Noah’s face has gotten in the few minutes he was gone. 

“Yeah,” Sam sighed, dipping his washcloth into the water before drizzling it over the six-month-old’s forehead. “He’s having a hard time keeping his eyes open. I think maybe the light is too bright.”

Dean nodded his head with a frown, watching as Castiel used the pad of his thumb to wipe away a stray water droplet from Noah’s face. “Dr. Franklin said that he has the flu.” He told them in a grave voice. 

Castiel looked up, meeting Dean’s eyes in the mirror. “The flu?” He asked with furrowed eyebrows. “Is that the same illness that Sam had a few months ago?”

Dean nodded his head again. “Yeah,” He replied, picking his chin up from Castiel’s shoulder to glance over at his younger brother. “The same illness that knocked Sam flat on his face for over a week.”

Sam couldn’t help but wince at the memory of being sick as he continued to wipe down Noah’s face with his wet washcloth. Remembering how exhausted and nauseous he was for the entire week only made him more desperate to help his nephew feel better as soon as possible. Being sick as an adult was horrible but having the flu as a baby must be much worse. 

“What are we going to do?” Castiel asked with a deep frown as he glanced down at their son, who finally let his eyes slip shut. “He’s just a baby, Dean. His body can’t handle being sick for a whole week!”

Sensing that Castiel was about to have a full-blown panic attack, Dean trailed his hands up his boyfriend’s arms until he reached his shoulders, where he began to massage them slowly. “Noah will be fine,” He murmured into his ear. “I don’t like seeing our son sick, either, but his body knows how to fight off an infection.”

Ever since Castiel had lost his grace, Dean has noticed how anxious the ex-angel has become. He couldn’t blame him, though, knowing how difficult it was for Castiel to go from having the power to cure anything with just a touch of his fingers to not being able to do anything. 

So, even though Dean and Sam were worried about Noah, too, they had the advantage of understanding how human illnesses work, unlike Castiel. In Dean’s opinion, he believes that not understanding the human world to its fullest extent is the reason why Castiel has become so anxious and he hopes that as time goes on, his boyfriend will eventually calm down. 

However, Dean has to admit that Castiel’s anxiety has gotten considerably better; when he first found out he was pregnant, Castiel was so anxious that he tried to forbid Dean from sleeping on his belly because he was afraid that Dean would accidently squish their baby. To make a long story short, an emotional and hormonal Dean accused Castiel of calling him fat and kicked him to the couch for the night.

Castiel relaxed into Dean’s touch, continuing to frown as he nodded his head hesitantly. “I just wish that I still had my grace, so I could make him feel better. I already miss his little smile.” He replied sadly, running a finger along Noah’s cheek. 

Dean couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “Me too, Cas,” He agreed, kissing the back of Castiel’s neck softly as he continued to massage his shoulders. “But we will do everything that Dr. Franklin told us to do to make sure that Noah gets healthy as soon as possible.”

“Of course.” Castiel said quietly, dabbing his washcloth into the water before beginning to pat the wet fabric against Noah’s fevered skin again.

“I think he finally fell asleep,” Sam commented, setting his washcloth down onto the counter and using the tips of his fingers to dip into the water, testing out the water. “And the water is getting cold now.”

With a frown, Dean stopped the massage that he was giving to Castiel and stepped in between his boyfriend and younger brother, watching as the six-month-old’s breathing evened out into sleep. He couldn’t help but be disappointed as his son fell asleep in his infant tub; Noah always loved bath time, so knowing that he was too sick to even enjoy the water only reinforced Dean’s fear about how sick the baby really was.

“That’s good, isn’t it?” Castiel asked, looking over at Sam before meeting Dean’s eyes in the mirror, raising his eyebrows. “The more he sleeps, the faster he’ll get better, right?”

Nodding his head, Sam brushed his bangs out of his eyes. “Yup. When I was sick, I slept for eighteen-hours straight,” He replied with a small laugh. “But I don’t think that Noah will end up sleeping that long.”

“I don’t even think that he slept that much when he was a newborn,” Dean chuckled, grabbing Noah’s towel from the rack on the wall; it was light blue and had a hood that had a trunk and big, floppy ears that resembled an elephant. “Let’s get him out of there, so he can sleep.”

Nodding his head in agreement, Castiel carefully gripped Noah underneath the armpits and picked him up out of the water. As soon as Castiel picked up Noah, the six-month-old began to stir, letting out loud whimpers before bursting out into tears. Wanting to comfort his son and avoid his boyfriend getting soaked, Dean immediately picked up Noah from Castiel’s arms, wrapping the baby up in his towel and beginning to dry him off. “It’s okay,” He murmured to his son, rocking him in his arms. “We’re sorry, baby, we’re sorry.”

As Dean continued to rock Noah in his arms, the six-month-old slowly began to calm down and started to hiccup in between his coughing. Wincing at the dry hacking, Dean rubbed Noah’s back, hoping that the soothing motions would help put a stop to his son’s horrible coughing. 

Frowning at the sounds of Noah’s coughing, Sam looked around the bathroom, noticing all of the water that had puddled up on the floor and counter. “You should get him dressed and give him something for that cough,” He said. “I’ll clean up in here.”

“Yeah,” Dean sighed, stepping out of the bathroom. “Let’s get you dressed and feed, huh, baby? Then you can sleep.” He mumbled to his son, who whimpered in response.

Castiel followed Dean down the hallway, peeling his wet t-shirt off of his skin. “I need to go change my shirt,” He informed Dean once they reached the nursery. “I’ll make Noah a bottle and meet you in the living room,” He said before leaning forward and pressing a kiss against Noah’s cheek. “Papa’s sorry for waking you up.”

“Okay, I’ll see you in a few minutes,” Dean replied, nodding his head and giving Castiel a weak smile as Noah whined distressingly. “It’s okay, daddy’s here.” He whispered to the upset baby as he walked into the nursery and headed towards the changing table. 

Laying Noah down on the bed of the changing table, Dean finished drying off the six-month-old before balling up the used towel and throwing it into the laundry basket in the corner of the nursery. Noah began to squirm, causing Dean to hold the wiggling baby in place as he lifted up his legs and laid the diaper underneath him. Knowing that Noah was acting this way because he was so exhausted and sick, Dean tried to work as fast as possible. Fastening up the diaper, Dean grabbed a clean onesie – that was blue and had an anchor on the front – before guiding Noah’s legs into the holes of the outfit and pulling it onto his small body.

“Alright,” Dean said, picking up Noah and resting him against his chest. “Let’s go see if papa is done making your bottle.” He murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. 

Feeling Noah shiver against his chest, Dean frowned and grabbed his favorite baby blanket from his crib, wrapping it around the six-month-old before walking out of the nursery. “Is that better, baby?” He asked in a quiet voice, rubbing his hand up and down Noah’s back in attempt to warm him up. 

Walking into the living room, Dean saw that Castiel had changed into an old Nirvana t-shirt of his and a pair of gray sweatpants; he was sitting on the couch with the television on mute and a prepared bottle in his hand. Looking up, Castiel gave Dean a small smile. “How’s he doing?” He asked, holding out his hands to take their son.

Stepping around the coffee table, Dean carefully lowered Noah into Castiel’s arms, watching as he rested their son in the crook of his arm and adjusted his blanket. “He’s shivering,” Dean answered, plopping down on the couch next to his boyfriend. “Hopefully that means his fever is beginning to drop.”

Castiel nodded his head and gently pushed the nipple of the bottle between Noah’s lips. Their son slowly captured the nipple of the bottle between his lips and began to pull at the teat, drinking the milky substance. “Maybe,” He said, glancing over at Dean. “But he still feels pretty warm.”

Dean sighed and leaned his head on Castiel’s shoulder, watching as their son’s eyes began to drift shut as he nursed from his bottle. “If he doesn’t feel any cooler in a couple of hours, we’ll have to take his temperature again.” He responded.

“I hope not,” Sam commented as he walked into the living room before sitting down on the couch next to Dean. “The way that Noah was crying almost broke my heart.”

“It’s unpleasant,” Castiel agreed, watching as Noah continued to nurse from his bottle, making soft sucking noises with his mouth. “But necessary.”

“Yeah,” Sam sighed, leaning back against the couch cushions, glancing over at his nephew. “How’s little man doing?” He asked. 

Dean lifted his head from Castiel’s shoulder and looked over at his younger brother with a frown. “Not good,” He replied. “He’s shivering but he still feels warm. He’s exhausted and fussy, too.”

“I think anyone would be fussy if they were woken up from a nap,” Sam commented with a lopsided grin. “I mean, I know I would be.” 

“You always were, Sammy,” Dean teased, nudging his shoulder playfully into Sam’s. “I remember when you were a kid and had strep throat, I had to wake you up every few hours to take your medication and every time I did, you’d give me the nastiest look.” He laughed, shaking his head. 

Sam chuckled. “And yet, you still act that way nowadays whenever someone wakes you up.” He mocked with a smirk. 

“That’s true,” Castiel chimed in, running his fingers through Noah’s hair as the six-month-old continued to drink from his bottle. “Remember that time a few months ago when I tried to wake you up from a nap and you threw a pillow at me, but it knocked the picture frame off of the wall?”

“Exactly my point,” Sam agreed. “I was picking up glass shreds embedded in the carpet for days.”

“Hey,” Dean injected with a glare at his boyfriend and younger brother. “That doesn’t count. Noah was a newborn and I was up the entire night with him, remember? I had just fallen asleep with him on the couch when you woke me up!”

“I offered to stay up with him that night, so you could get some sleep,” Castiel reminded Dean. “But you refused to even lay down.”

“I know,” Dean nodded his head. “I liked staying up with him, though, and you didn’t get much sleep the night before.” He explained to his boyfriend. 

“And that was when I was sick, so I couldn’t help,” Sam commented with a grimace. “Anyways, I think that I’ve made my point on how grumpy you are whenever someone tries to wake you up.”

Before Dean got the chance to retaliate, Noah began coughing, causing milk to dribble from the corners of his mouth. Pulling the nipple of the bottle away from Noah’s mouth, Castiel helped the six-month-old sit up and gently patted his back, hoping to help clear his airways. 

Without needing to be asked, Sam jumped up and jogged into the kitchen, grabbing a handful of napkins before walking back out into the living room and handing them to Dean. Thanking his younger brother, Dean used a napkin to wipe away the milk that was dripping down Noah’s chin. “It’s okay, baby.” He muttered to his son. 

Sam sat on the coffee table in front of the couch where Castiel was sitting before reaching over and rubbing the pad of his thumb against Noah’s cheek. “I know it sucks, buddy, but you’re okay,” He said softly. “You’ll feel better soon.”

“I don’t like this,” Castiel remarked, watching Noah carefully as his coughing finally came to an end. “His coughing doesn’t sound very good.”

“I know,” Sam agreed with a frown. “Maybe I can go to the store later and get him some cough medicine or something.”

“If his coughing continues like this, I’ll call Dr. Franklin back and see what he recommends doing,” Dean said, nodding his head. “But I think you should try to get him to finish his bottle, the milk might help soothe his throat.”

Without responding, Castiel picked up the forgotten bottle of milk and pressed the nipple gently to Noah’s lips. Instead of latching on like normal, Noah whimpered quietly and angled his face away from the nipple of the bottle. With a frown, he tried again by rubbing the nipple against Noah’s lips, which only caused the six-month-old to whine louder. 

After a few more failed attempts of making Noah finish his bottle, Castiel gave up. With a sigh, he set the bottle aside and tightened his grip on the six-month-old after he cuddled into his chest with his eyes closed, already falling asleep. Looking up, Castiel noticed Dean and Sam both watching him with matching expressions of concern. “I think that this is the very first time he’s ever refused a bottle.” He pointed out grimly. 

Dean couldn’t help the feeling of dread that washed over him as he witnessed their son refuse to finish his bottle. He didn’t know what to think of this new development; the last time that Noah was sick, he guzzled down several bottles full of milk, so it was disconcerting to say the least. 

Knowing he had to remain calm to avoid having Castiel go into a panic, Dean put on a straight face and nodded his head. “It’s odd,” He agreed. “Maybe he’s just too tired to finish it right now. We’ll try again when he wakes up.”

“Yeah,” Sam said, patting Castiel’s knee comfortingly before standing up from the coffee table. “His body just needs sleep. I’ll go make us something for lunch while Noah sleeps, okay?”

Castiel gave the brothers a small smile and nodded his head. “Okay, that sounds nice,” He responded and glanced back down at Noah, who was sleeping soundly against his chest. “Thank you, Sam.”

Once Sam had disappeared into the kitchen, Dean scooched closer to Castiel and wrapped an arm around his shoulders as he watched the rising and falling of their son’s chest. “I love you and our son so much.” He muttered quietly. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Dean saw Castiel smile. “Me too, Dean.” He mumbled just as softly, leaning into Dean’s body.

Tearing his gaze away from Noah’s breathing, Dean pecked Castiel’s lips before facing forward again and reaching for the remote on the coffee table. “Good,” He replied, tightening his arm around Castiel’s shoulder. “Now let’s watch some TV while our little boy gets some sleep.”

What happened an hour later scared Dean to his very core; the three boys were lounging around on the couch with bellies full of sandwiches and chips as they watched The Twilight Zone reruns on TV and kept careful eyes on Noah’s condition. 

Since Noah hadn’t woken up, Castiel was still holding the six-month-old in his arms. He was leaning back against the couch cushions with his feet kicked up on the coffee table, allowing his own eyes to droop when Noah suddenly started spewing up vomit. 

The sounds of vomiting caught everyone’s attention, but Castiel was the first one in action. He sat up straight and positioned Noah in an upright position in his lap, rubbing his back as the baby started to cry loudly. 

Dean cursed under his breath as he saw vomit sliding down Noah’s chin. He quickly used the pad of his thumb to wipe away the vomit before jumping up from the couch and grabbing his cellphone. “Keep him sitting up, so he doesn’t choke,” Dean told Castiel in a shaky voice. “I’m calling Dr. Franklin to let him know that we’re on our way to his office.”

“I’ll go get a towel and our stuff.” Sam spoke too quickly, giving away how nervous he was as he stood up from the couch and jogged out of the living room. 

“Dean,” Castiel said in a small voice, prompting Dean to turn towards him. “His fever spiked. His skin is too hot… he’s burning up.” He added, looking up at his boyfriend for guidance. 

Dean tried to swallow the lump in his throat to no avail as Noah started to eject vomit again, causing the six-month-old’s crying to intensify. Dean tried to calm himself, but he could feel his heartbeat pound against his ribcage as he listened to the sounds of his son vomiting and crying. With shaking fingers, Dean unlocked his cellphone and dialed Dr. Franklin’s number, trying to get himself to think clearly. 

“Dean,” Dr. Franklin’s gruff voice answered the phone on the first ring. “What’s wrong?”

Clearing his throat, Dean tried to sound as normal as possible. “We’re on our way to your office,” He told the doctor. “Noah has started vomiting and his fever spiked.” He explained, watching as Castiel used the bottom of his shirt to wipe away the vomit on Noah’s chin. 

“That’s not good,” Dr. Franklin responded. “Okay, Dean, go to the emergency room, alright? I’ll meet you there and call the hospital on my way to let them know.”

Furrowing his eyebrows, Dean felt his heart drop into his stomach. Knowing that Noah’s condition was bad enough to warrant a hospital made him feel sick to his stomach. “What? But why?” He asked in a trembling voice. “What’s wrong with your office?”

“Calm down, Dean. I need you to focus,” The doctor replied in a soothing tone. “I need you to go to the emergency room because I don’t have the tools necessary to take care of a sick baby at my office right now. The hospital has x-rays and IV’s that are made for babies that might be useful. How is Noah doing right now?”

Dean glanced over at Castiel, noticing that he had stood up with the baby and was now pacing back and forth while rocking Noah, hoping that the motions would help soothe the upset six-month-old. “He hasn’t vomited in a few minutes, but he’s still upset.”

“That’s completely normal,” Dr. Franklin assured Dean. “Baby vomiting is the forceful expulsion of the stomach’s contents, so babies are usually irritable and upset by it.” He explained. 

Dean watched as Sam jogged back into the living room with Noah’s diaper bag hanging off of his shoulder, a hand-towel thrown over his arm and Dean’s wallet in his hand. He handed Dean his wallet before using the towel to dab at the vomit dribbling down Noah’s chin. “Poor baby,” He heard his younger brother mutter as he continued to clean up his nephew’s face. 

“Okay,” Dean breathed out. “We’re leaving now. We’ll probably be there in about ten minutes.” He told the doctor as he shoved his wallet into the pocket of his sweatpants before picking up his keys from the coffee table. 

“I’ll meet you there,” Dr. Franklin repeated. “Try to stay as calm as possible, Dean. Babies take cues from their parents, so he’ll only get more upset knowing that you’re distressed.”

Dean nodded his head, despite the fact that the doctor couldn’t see him. As he hung up the phone, Dean couldn’t help but get more upset. He didn’t understand how he had let this happen and he felt like a horrible father for not having been prepared for something like this. As the four of them headed to the hospital, Dean could only hope that Noah would be okay.


End file.
